


One of Us

by Eramia



Category: K/DA - Fandom, League of Legends, League of Legends (K/DA)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Idols, Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fae & Fairies, Ghost Possession, Ghosts, K/DA, Lesbian Vampires, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Secret Identity, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-09-30 09:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eramia/pseuds/Eramia
Summary: "Give them a performance so good that no one would even think of questioning you."After mysteriously disappearing for five years Ahri is finally returning to the music world, and she's not alone. The new pop idol group K/DA is coming to claim the crown! But something is off about these idols. What caused them to disappear from the stage in the first place? And what are they hiding beneath their flashy new personas?





	1. The Hunt

“Do the three of you understand what you’re going to have to do?”

“Yes, miss,” they replied.

“We’ll take you on at the label as an idol group. Find a fourth member and you’re in, simple as that. Your identities will remain secret if you take good care of that. Call it: ‘rediscovering’ yourself. Give them a performance so good that no one would even think of questioning you. Understand?”

“We understand.”

“I personally can’t make promises that you’ll go undiscovered. Quite frankly, every day of your life as an ordinary human is already risky, but returning to the stage of the music world the way you are is unprecedented as far as I know. I hate to ask you again but...are you sure you three want to do this?”

“Most definitely.”

“Then I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

  
  


“What are you watching, Ahri?”

Kai’Sa leaned in over Ahri’s shoulder to see her phone screen. Some spunky chick was bouncing off the walls (literally), surrounded by a crowd, wildly hollering, cheering, bobbing in rhythm to the beat she set through her words. You could barely hear over the ruckus, especially since it was all filmed on a phone. She finished with a slam, figuratively and literally. Her opponent fell back melodramatically, feeding the crowd’s energy as he flew into his cronies’ arms. Even with the shaky footage, you could tell that she was undoubtedly the winner.

Without looking up from her reading, Evelynn commented, “She’s pretty good. She’s definitely got talent.”

“She’s more than good,” Kai’Sa shot back, making sword-like gestures, “she’s amazing! She’s like a rogue and her words are her blades.”

Evelynn eyed Ahri, who hadn’t said anything throughout the whole video, even after it finished. “And what about you, Ahri? What are you thinking?”

She had clicked on another video and was watching the girl, wild-haired and out of breath but satisfyingly so, revel in the cheers of the crowd, and in another victory. “I think I want her to join our group,” she replied matter-of-factly.

That was enough of a shock for the two of them that Evelynn peered at Ahri over her glasses and Kai’Sa went silent and still.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Kai’Sa asked, “I mean, what if she’s not...y’know, one of us?”

Ahri glanced uncertainly at her. “Well, how much do we have to tell her? Personally, I think she’d be so distracted by how famous we are that even the most trivial of information would be enough to make her gush. Plus, I think we need something to spice us up and a rapper is just what we need!”

“She brings up a good point, gumiho,” Evelynn interjected. “It’s still a risky move. Besides, how are you even going to contact her?”

At that moment the crowd was chanting in unison as the chick accepted her praise with cheeky bows, “힙합검객! 힙합검객! 힙합검객!” Ahri immediately began searching up that name. “I think I know just where to look.”

  
  


Basking in the glow of another slam win, Akali escaped as the last of the crowd dispersed and beelined for the closest convenience store to pick up some spicy ramyun noodle packets. She was starving, and one thing was for certain: she wasn’t going home without picking up some instant noodles.

While standing in the check-out line she was scrolling through her feed, reading what everyone was saying about her latest rap battle She was no doubt an internet sensation, and that filled her with a bit of pride, made her feel like she was at least doing something right. Knowing that her lyrics meant something to people was what made it all worthwhile. She made it known from the get-go that she didn’t want to be famous to “just fuck around and be famous”. She wanted her words to be known, not her.

At that moment, her stomach lurched and growled, and when the clerk glanced over at her she worried that she’d be known for more than her words. At first, she passed it off as insane hunger that she just didn’t notice because of the rap battle. But when it happened again, and this time painfully, she began to panic. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she was cursing herself, scrambling for her phone. “C’mon, cmon,” she whispered to her phone screen, hoping that it would listen to her and load her search. No luck.

Giving up, she asked the old lady behind her, “Ah, excuse me, but, uh, what does the moon look like tonight?”

“Why, I hear it’s gonna be full! The weatherman this morning said we should have clear skies and a bright beautiful moon for the next few days!”

“Aw, crap!”

The lurching in her stomach was growing worse as she was taking on the appetite of a beast. Akali cut the line, slamming some money on the counter, and raced out the door, shouting, “Sorry, it’s an emergency!” as the clerk muttered about “Millennials these days” and begrudgingly took the cash.

  
  


Even long after the sun had gone down Ahri was laying on her side in bed, on her phone, scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, any social media she could find. She liked what she saw: graffiti street art, rap lyrics, pictures of instant ramen. It only convinced her even more that they needed this sort of spunky, down-to-earth attitude. She was about to reach out to her through Insta when she felt someone watching her.

“You’re really set on that rapper chick, aren’t you.”

And out of the dark Evelynn stepped through her bedroom doorway.

“She’s seriously really cool,” she replied matter-of-factly, going back to scrolling. “I really feel like she’d put us on the map.”

Evelynn sat down on the corner of her bed. “Is that all?”

Ahri flipped the phone screen down with a sigh so that only a dim halo of blue-green light illuminated her face. She knew Evelynn could see through the dark to what she was feeling anyways but that didn’t stop her.

“No,” she admitted and sat up.

“Well, what’s bothering you?”

She sighed. “I’m worried about coming back. It’s been a long time for all of us, and I can’t wait to return to performing. I’m not nervous about returning, I mean I am, I’m nervous about returning like this, like is it worth risking--”

She held up a hand. “Just tell me, then,” she pleaded.

“Did we...do the right thing ‘rediscovering’ ourselves?”

“Ahri, you heard the label rep.” Evelynn whispered, “It’s necessary.”

“And that’s just it, what if people find out? What’s going to happen to us? Will we have to hide again? Will they hate us? Will they want to kill us?!”

Evelynn was silent for a moment, contemplating. “We have Kai’Sa protecting us. There’s no way anyone will discover who…” she paused for a moment, searching for the right word, “who we are.” But she didn’t sound convinced. Neither did Ahri.

“I’ve never had anything to hide before.”

“Gumiho,” she said, placing her hand by hers, “get some sleep. It’s late and you’re tired. Plus, we gotta be well-rested if we’re going to find her tomorrow.”

“I don’t need sleep,” she objected, but Evelynn glared at her.

Ahri nodded, slowly. “Okay...”

“Good night, gumiho.” When she looked back from the doorway, the bed was empty.

After she closed the door she whispered loud enough for her and one other person to hear. “How much did you hear?”

Like something in the corner of your eye becoming clear, Kai’Sa appeared by the doorway. “All of it.”

“I’m sorry you have to carry most of the pressure to keep us hidden by yourself.”

“It’s okay,” she said, “Really! This is my specialty.”

“If the human really does join us,” she said, “will you be okay? Hosting this illusion all of the time?”

Kai’Sa thought for a moment. “She would find out eventually, wouldn’t she? Whether or not she lived with us.”

Evelynn nodded. “What’s one person finding out versus the world?”

“Life or death,” she replied, half-jokingly.

They chuckled grimly. “Go to sleep, Kai’Sa. Good night.”

“Sleep well,” she said, “whenever you do.” And she disappeared. But Evelynn stayed up on the penthouse balcony, staring at the lit city under the dark, starless sky. When the moon was at its highest, she took off her shoes, stripped, clambered up onto the edge, and then she jumped off.

  
  


Akali came barreling through her own front door, practically tripping over herself. “Shit,” she cursed herself for not grabbing a bag before she left as instant ramen packets flew out of her hands, bursting open, scattering everywhere.

“Shit.” Not that it made a difference with how cluttered her apartment was.

“Shit!” Not that there was time to clean up either.

“SHIT!!” Not that any of this mattered at the moment.

She had barely made it home in time. The lurching in her stomach was becoming unbearable, almost like it was eating her from the inside out. Saliva kept welling up in her mouth. She found herself spitting on the floor, saying she’d clean it up later. Akali was drooling now, her breath becoming ragged, groans of pain distorting, turning into snarls. Her teeth hurt. She tasted blood in her mouth now. She crawled best she could across the floor to her phone. She turned on the camera; she bleeding from the gums as her teeth jutted out, too big for her mouth, and kept growing.

She saw her hands growing, growing gnarled and twisted, like someone broke them and put them back together all wrong, and damn, it hurts like that too! This pain of being taken apart, her bones growing too big for her skin, climbed up her arms, to her shoulders, down her back and ribs to her legs and feet. There was no use in fighting it now. At this point it was like trying to hold back vomit when it’s flooding through your fingers.

Akali let go. It didn’t stop hurting when she quit trying to hold it back but at least it happened faster. A feeling like her skin was being ripped apart burned throughout her body. She was writhing now as a pelt of coarse, brown fur pushed its way out of her skin, her nails growing into the floor, piercing the hardwood. She tried holding her breath to block the pain, but it didn’t help. Each spasm knocked the wind out of her, like being stoned and burnt and drowned all at once. She felt blinded, unable to think about anything else other than her bones rearranging themselves in her body, her skin which was ripping itself apart, her growing hunger pains, how pathetic she looked as an amorphous lump of fur mid transition.

Then as suddenly as it came, it was over.

It left Akali on her apartment floor, now scratched and punctured, exhausted, twitching, gasping, and terribly hungry. She couldn’t bear to move until her stomach growled. She flinched even though it was painless this time.

She was afraid to move at first, but when the growling wouldn’t cease she inched her finger to test. No pain. Then she got up slowly. Nothing, as if she had always been like this. She suddenly forgot where she was, bombarded by smells.

Now, all that was on her mind was satisfying that beastial hunger.

  
  


Black birds were flying quietly in the sky. One separated itself from the flock and flew into the city streets. A young street sweeper was cleaning the curb when she looked up and shrieked, “A bat! Ew, ew, ew, get away, get away!” She waved her broom in the air, crazed and frightened, but the bat flew away from the girl and careened into an alley.

A moment later, out came Evelynn, clothed in skin-tight black nightwear.

“Are you alright, miss?” she asked cooly.

Clutching her broom, she swallowed and nodded. “Stay safe, okay?” Evelynn told her as she strutted past.

She was barely down the block when she was stopped at the next intersection. “Stopped” was how she would put it. Most women would continue walking past a cat-caller, hoping he wouldn’t follow. But for her, it was an opportunity.

Evelynn turned around to face the whistler, eyeing him. A greasy-looking fella was sitting on a staircase, illuminated by the glow of his cigarette. “What?” she said, “Do you like what you see?”

“Is that an invitation, miss?” he asked, tossing his smoke and putting it out with his heel as he got up, “because I’ll take it. You wanna grab dinner?”

He walked towards her, or more importantly, she let him come closer. His hands were twitching in his pockets, antsy, greedy. She despised that, just like any woman would. Looking at her like she was a piece of meat to chew on, how dare he. But guys like him made her nights more interesting, more satisfying.

She reached out for him. What he believed was a hand to caress his neck in a deep embrace was now clasped around his throat. Her thumb dug into the soft part under his chin, worming its way deeper to close around his pharynx. Her stiletto nails proved tough as they scratched his neck. Evelynn smirked as he struggled, voice strained and thin.

“I believe I already did,” she told him.

With one arm she pushed him and watched him stumble backwards, tripping over the first step of the staircase. He fell backwards, clumsily, head-first, and then he was still. Soon, Evelynn was standing over him, casting a shadow over the body awkwardly sliding down the steps. A small smattering of blood decorated the top step where the back of his head had just been.

She crouched down beside him, whispering, “Bon Appetit, mon cherie.” Then her red velvet lips parted, curling back as she released her fangs and sunk them with ease into the ripe, pink flesh of his neck, like a needle puncturing cloth.

She felt a satisfying “pop” under her teeth, like eating a fresh cherry tomato, and she sucked on the wound. God, she loved that feeling. She drank deeply, thoroughly, the blood still warm and fresh. It had been a while since she fed like this, with blood this rich. She couldn’t tell how much she craved it until it touched her lips, like the way your lungs welcome air after holding your breath underwater. She loved this, especially when her dinner walks right into her hands.

But then, mid-sip, she stopped.

Amid the smell of blood and the city she found something alarming: a dog-like scent, musky, sweaty, and...vaguely like spicy ramyun? What has the poor thing snuck itself into, Evelynn wondered.

When the smell grew thicker she no longer thought of it as a “poor thing”. She knew it could smell the blood and fresh meat. She looked at the unconscious man from which she had been sucking blood from. He was still breathing, even if shallow; he was still alive.

Not that she cared about protecting him, she cared more about protecting her dinner.

Trash cans in the alleyway closest to her rattled. She stood up.

“Never encountered a werewolf in this city before,” she called out rather smugly, “I suppose you’re just passing through.”

No reply, but she could hear its labored breathing, almost like a snore.

“You’re going to leave me no choice, pet.” She spat out that last word like it was bitter.

The beast slunk out into the streetlight. “How could you tell I was here,” it seemed to say, but it was growling, the skin of its muzzle bared back to show it had fangs of its own.

“Oh, dear,” Evelyn sneered, licking one of her bloodied stilettos, “You’re not the only one with an impeccable sense of smell.”

There they stood, tensely, on a empty street in the dead of night, illuminated by the bright and uncaring glow of the city. Each one eyed another carefully, unmoving. Evelynn was already calculating how to take down the beast when the greaser began to groan and stir. When she looked back, the wolf had disappeared.

Damn it, she thought, at least I could have a taste.

“Well,” Evelynn sighed, “I’ll see you around. Pet.”

And just like that, she vanished into the night sky, her new clothes floating to the ground were she once stood.

  
  


It was hardly the first time he woke up after passing out on the street, but it was the first time he woke up like this. The back of his head ached like hell and his neck was sore and—fuck, is that blood?!

Damn. It was.

He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and, once he overcame the dizziness, got up and threw them away

“That’s the last time I ever smoke…”

The greaser’s mother, poor thing, was worried sick and so grateful that her son was alive--so she could yell at him for sneaking out to smoke in the middle of the night.

  
  


Evelynn reappeared on the balcony, naked, silhouetted against the full moon. She considered staying this way and lounge until sunrise just for the sake of it. It’s not anybody could see her and it felt so good to be free. But instead she picked up her PJs and tip-toed inside. As far she could tell, her friends were still asleep. She still felt thirsty, but she told herself that she could wait until another night. She didn’t feel like going out knowing that there was also another predator roaming the streets. Somehow it made her feel uncomfortable, like she could no longer be certain that she ruled the city

I should suck the blood out of that label rep, she thought as she reclothed, no, no, I should be grateful that somebody is agreeing to help us, even if it’s hard to hear.

She collapsed into bed, but as much as she tried she didn’t feel tired. Switching to a new sleep cycle had been difficult, especially after years of her nocturnal habit. If anything, the fact that she couldn’t go to sleep right now made her even more restless. And the idea of somebody noticing this or any of her inhuman qualities made her feel anxious.

I wish I could go for a drive, she thought, rolling over in bed. It had been a while since she had been to her garage. But she did as the label rep recommended and decided to lay low. Evelynn checked her clock. She had barely been in bed for an hour, but it felt much longer. The sun would be coming up in a couple hours. Her midnight would be approaching soon enough.


	2. Hello, Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahri, Evelynn and Kai'Sa concoct a plan to meet the new rapper that Ahri is obsessed with. Akali gets an unexpected visit.

The brain works in strange ways. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night with only a few hours of sleep under your belt and yet you feel fully refreshed, or you just have to pee. But still, you can’t help but think how funny it is your body knew when to wake up. The brain waking up is like starting a computer: basic necessities first and any more complicated, higher functions come later. Just like that, Akali’s brain could tell that her whole body was aching before it was even fully awake.

The first deep breath she took made her realize how shallow she had been breathing, as if her body was still asleep but her mind was awake, trapped in a heap of sore muscle. But she was used to exhaustion like this, at least after a full moon. All she could do was muster a laugh.

“Rough night, girly,” she said to herself, “With some luck, I could avoid going out altogether just by being too damn tired tonight.” Deep in her heart she knew that wouldn’t be the case, but a little hope never hurt anyone.

Her apartment was dim except for some stray rays of light. From what she could see from the floor she basically had a new windchime. Her window was smashed, by yours truly no doubt, and bits of her old shutters clung together in a tangled mess of string, glass, and plastic. A shitty windchime, but whatever. It rattled in the window frame.

It suddenly struck her how weird it was that none of her neighbors complained, or even came to check for that matter. Then again, she didn’t really know them, so why would they?

Akali leapt onto her feet, like she does in rap battles; get up fast and don’t let them see how they’ve hurt you. She couldn’t help but flinch this time. To be fair, she told herself, my body basically rearranged itself, twice. That shit hurts. Most people have only broken a bone or dislocated a shoulder. I’ve broken and mended every bone in my body in a single night.

Man, I’m such a bad-ass.

For a second she considered lying back down where she was. The hardwood floor felt so soft when you’re exhausted. Then she realized she was lying in a pile of brown hair. On top of that, she still had a thin layer on her arms and it felt like a thin layer of dust.

“Eeyeuch!” She tried brushing it off, but it clung to her clothes, or at least whatever tattered remains there were. “I look like I own so many cats,” she gagged, “I don’t know how those cat ladies do it. I gotta take a shower.” Sore body, shedding hair, and all, off she hobbled to the bathroom.

  
  


Kai’Sa was usually the first one to wake up out of the three of them. This morning was no different.

The first rays of morning shine through the tiniest slits of the shutters and she rises, stretching her arms over head, with a thin, light yawn. Unlike Evelynn slumbering in her dark corner of Ahri’s guest room, she greets the morning as she leaps out of bed and dances into the kitchen.

Aside from dancing, another one of her loves was cooking. Like choreographing a dance, Kai’Sa was conducting a symphony with a flurry of eggs being cracked into frying pans and coffee brewing, with nothing more than her touch, as if all by itself.

The TV was humming the background with the local news. A man was reportedly ambushed downtown, and when he woke up, he was bleeding from a gash in the back of his head when he slipped and fell and two puncture wounds on his neck. There were seemingly no other clues except for a pile of womens’ clothes left on the curb, and nothing was reported missing.

She heard a stool squeak behind her, but when she looked, there was nobody there.

“Good morning, Ahri!” she cried to the living room.

She reached into a jar on the island counter, pinching some sparkling powder in her fingers and sprinkling it over the chair. The dust was so gentle, it seemed to float and spin in the air, glimmering in the morning light.

Kai’Sa turned to tend to the eggs on the stove. When she looked back, there was Ahri, with glitter in her hair. “You forgot the ears.”

“But you’re not performing soon, are you?”

“It just makes me feel better.”

She leaned her head over the counter as Kai’Sa made a pinching motion, like with the fairy dust, from her head, “pulling” out two fox ears from Ahri’s head.

“Good?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Kai’Sa went to split open small rolls of french bread. “How did you sleep?”

“You know I don’t really sleep,” she replied solemnly, “I just sort of let myself disappear. Like letting go of a muscle that’s been tense all day.”

“I was just trying to make conversation,” Kai’Sa mumbled dejectedly.

“Sorry, that was rude of me,” Ahri apologized. “I slept fine, thank you for asking.”

Kai’Sa slid a plate of fried egg sandwiches onto the counter. As she came around to the other side, Ahri squeaked as she felt something nip her rump. She looked and saw sand-colored tails waving as if they had a mind of their own. “Apology accepted.”

“Do you have to do that every time?!”

Kai’Sa giggled as she took a sandwich. “But it’s so funny!”

“Hmph.”

Ahri reached for her phone and went back to Instagram where Akali’s page was still up.

“Is that our new member?”

“Not yet,” she told her, “I haven’t asked yet, but I’m going to. Right now.”

“Cool! Hope she says yes!”

Still, her thumb hovered over the message she wrote last night after Evelynn left. “Hello! My name is Ahri. I used to be a solo music artist, but now I’m forming a pop group. We’re currently three members but we are looking for a fourth. I’ve seen your videos and I really like your style. K/DA could really use someone with your talents!”

There’s so many things wrong with this, she thought to herself. She showed the message to Kai’Sa.

“Is this okay?” she asked. “I mean, one, she obviously knows that I’m Ahri. Also, ‘used to be’? I’m still an artist! And what about that ‘hello’, how lame is that?”

Kai’Sa shrugged. “Looks fine to me,” she mumbled through a mouthful of fried egg.

“Just send it already,” they heard, and there was Evelynn, rubbing her eyes.

“You’re up early!” Kai’Sa exclaimed, half-jokingly.

“Yeah, well, you two are so loud, how could I not be?” she grabbed a sandwich. “Say, where in the world did these come from?”

Kai’Sa sat up, wings fluttering under her pajamas. “Rio de Janeiro,” she explained, “The dance troupe I was with there would make them every morning. It’s real simple, but full of protein!”

“Wish I could have some,” Ahri muttered.

“Oh, lighten up,” Evelynn said, “It’s all pros and cons. Can’t eat, but you can walk through walls and never be hurt.”

“Well you don’t know what it’s like, you were a vampire your whole life! I only recently became a ghost!”

“Yeah, five years ago.”

“Hey, c’mon now,” Kai’Sa interjected. “We’re all just a bit grumpy because we didn’t sleep well last night.”

The two of them nodded, looking away. “Sorry,” they each said.

“So about this rapper?”

“Just go for it, gumiho.” Evelynn said, going back to the guest room. “It’s too bright in here, I’m going back to sleep.”

Ahri stared down at the message she wrote. “She’s right,” she said, “Besides, what are the odds that we can specifically find someone like us, a monster? We might as well take anyone we can find.”

“She seems like more than ‘just someone we can find’, Ahri. I think it would be really cool to have her on board.”

Ahri still hesitated. “What if she’s too cool?”

“Foxy,” she giggled, “are you intimidated?”

“So what if I am?”

“Then I’ll send it for you,” she said, reaching for the cell, but Ahri pulled it out of her reach.

“No, I’ll do it.”

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she pressed her thumb to the screen and sent it. It didn’t sink through; it was like a normal thumb print.

“There,” she sighed, “It’s done.”

  
  


After a long, hot shower Akali stepped out mostly free of beast hair. Whatever hair she had shed was now in a clumpy, rolled up ball she fished from the drain which she promptly threw in the trash, along with the scraps of clothing from last night.

Wiping away the steam and condensation collecting on her mirror she looked at her reflection. What she saw was normal, human. It almost felt foreign to her, like she was seeing somebody else’s reflection. But it was undoubtedly hers nonetheless. She pulled back her lips to look at her sore gums. They weren’t bleeding anymore. Although her teeth ached they were back where they were before her transformation. For the most part. Sometimes she worried her teeth would be put back differently, all in the wrong spot, or they’d jut out like she never used braces before, but that’s never happened.

She sighed, dried herself off, and put on new clothes. She thought of sweeping away the excess hair on the floor but her knees felt like they would buckle at any moment so she grabbed her phone and collapsed in bed.

Time to look for a new window, she thought.

But then she saw her Instagram notifications.

Eh, the window can wait.

She opened the app and saw that she had a few messages waiting for her. Most of them were her colleagues congratulating her on an epic rap battle, a couple of them were dudes who claimed they were trying to give her advice calling her a bitch (which she promptly blocked), one from someone she never thought she’d hear from.

The message read: “Hello! My name is Ahri. I used to be a solo music artist, but now I’m forming a pop group. We’re currently three members but we are looking for a fourth. I’ve seen your videos and I really like your style. K/DA could really use someone with your talents!”

Damn, she thought, Now that’s sweet.

It wasn’t the first time somebody offered to collaborate with her, but an offer from an established pop star? That was definitely a first. How long has it been since she’s released new music, like four or five years? She, like, just vanished. Poof!

For a moment she genuinely considered it, how an opportunity like this could help her spread her words to a wider audience, essentially elevate her career. It’d be pretty sweet. Then she remembered she was supposed to be looking for a new window and eventually sweep her floor and that performing in concerts meant she’d be performing at night. She wouldn’t be just a killer rapper, she’d be a killer, period.

She sighed, letting her phone roll out of her hand.

Akali laid still, took a deep breath, then she reached for her phone and began typing out a familiar message.

   
  


The second her phone dinged with a notification Ahri practically pounced.

If anyone had asked, she was definitely not waiting for a response.

But she was definitely excited to hear from the street rapper, whose name she learned was Akali. She was almost embarrassed at how fast she unlocked her phone, opened Instagram and checked her private messages.

“She responded!” she yelped. Kai’Sa, sitting next to her on the sofa, jumped because it was so silent before. Evelynn, in the other chair, glanced up briefly from her book. Kai’Sa asked, “What did she say?”

And then she read the following out loud: “Hey, thanks, dude! Coming from you, that means a lot--” (“Oh my gosh,” Ahri squealed but Evelynn told her finish reading the message) “Sorry but I gotta say no.”

At this, Ahri fell silent.

“Is that it?” Evelynn asked, somewhat shocked and indignant.

“No, there’s more,” Ahri responded quietly. She continued reading: “It’s nothing against you, you’re an amazing singer. I’m just not a team player. I’m kind of a ‘lone wolf’. But, hey, I hope you find someone else.

“Can’t wait to see you back on stage, Ahri. It’s been a while.”

Her phone screen clicked off and went black.

Evelynn closed her book and laid it in her lap. “I’m sorry, gumiho.”

Ahri brought her knees to her chest and curled her tails around her feet. “It’s fine,” she pouted.

“Bright side,” Kai’Sa chimed in, “She said you were an amazing singer! She admires you!’

“Not enough to work with me…”

“Oh, come on,” Evelynn groaned, “You know that isn’t true.”

“Yeah, Foxy. Don’t be so hard on yourself. We’ll find another rapper.”

“But I don’t want another rapper,” she whined, “I want her!”

“Why?” Evelynn asked, starting to grow frustrated, “Why do you want her so badly?”

“Because, she’s just really cool!” Ahri sputtered. “She’s got spunk and she’s got nerve and she’s really brave, no matter what people are saying about her.” Growing restless, she stood up and began pacing. “You’d think I’d have nothing to lose because I’m literally dead but even I can’t do what she does. I can’t take a hit and get up. I’m too scared to lose. And I’ve already lost my life, my career…Five years and all I’ve done is be bitter and sad.”

“...You haven’t lost us, gumiho.”

Ahri scoffed, softly, trying to hide the corners of her smile. “That’s so cheesy, Eve.”

“But it’s true!” Kai’sa added, “You still have fans, Foxy!”

Evelynn stood up and got closer to Ahri, saying softly, “I’m sorry you lost so much.”

She didn’t respond. If I were alive, if I were normal right now, I’d cry, she thought. But no tears pricked her eyes. Her nose didn’t burn, there was no lump in her throat, and that frustrated and saddened her. But she was also touched by Evelynn and so she put a hand on her shoulder; Eve felt a cool pressure on a certain spot and she smiled. A small one, but it was there.

“What if,” Kai’Sa began to say, “we go talk to this girl in person?”

“Huh?”

She looked up from her phone and turned it over to show the two of them. “Apparently this girl lives in the same city as we do. Look, she’s got her location on.” The video she showed them was from her latest post from yesterday. Under it was the very city they lived in.

“That’s not so surprising,” Evelynn remarked, “A lot of musicians move here to jumpstart their careers. Awfully convenient, though.”

Ahri looked hesitant.

“Well, gumiho,” she said, putting a hand on that cold spot on her shoulder, “are we going to go get her?”

“But we don’t know her address!” Ahri cried. “This city is huge!”

“We’re going to literally go after her?” Evelynn brought up, “That was a figure of speech, Ahri. Maybe we should just invite her to meet somewhere and reconsider.”

“I thought maybe if we go visit her, she’ll realize this is a little more personal. We don’t want just any rapper, we want her.”

“That might come off a little too strong.”

“It was just an idea!”

Kai’Sa interjected: “What if we do it the old fashioned way?”

“And what way is that? A crystal ball? A fairy tracking spell?” Evelynn shot back.

“A phone book,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Do we have one?”

Evelynn was mute for a second. Then she simply replied, “I’ll go look for one.” A minute later the three of them were seated on the couch, huddling over the phone book in Eve’s lap.

“Do we know her last name?”

Ahri grabbed her phone. “I’m checking right now.”

“Found it!”

“What, already?!”

Evelynn, after flipping and scanning, was pointing to one of the thin, black lines of letters in the thick, yellow book. She looked closely and read the address aloud. “How far away is that, Ahri?”

A quick google search later and: “Too far to walk. But we could hire a cab?”

Gleefully, Kai’Sa stood up, taking Ahri’s hands into hers, hopping cheerfully. “This is perfect, Ahri! Everything is falling into place!”

Amid the bouncing, Ahri told her, “But we can’t go like this!”

“Don’t worry about it! We’ll just drop the illusion. And by ‘we’, I mean me. You go back to being invisible, I go back to being an eensy-teensy fairy! And Evie can be her normal, man-killer self!”

Hands on her hips, Eve sternly said, “What did we say about calling me ‘Evie’, bokkie?”

Kai’Sa disappeared in a dazzling flash, becoming nothing more than a glowing mote of light. “That if you ever caught me calling you ‘Evie’ again, I’d become a snack,” they heard a small voice chime, giggling, “But that’s only if you catch me!” Suddenly Evelynn felt a little hand push on her nose, “Boop!”, and before she could swipe her out of the air, Kai’Sa flew away in a rain of glitter.

A growl escaped from Evelynn’s throat, but with a deep breath, she composed herself. “I’m going to go get ready,” she told them and left.

“Okay, stand still,” Kai’Sa told Ahri.

She, too, took a deep breath and the moment her lungs couldn’t take any more she let it go in a controlled, steady breath out in Ahri’s face. Ahri felt a gentle breeze rustle her hair. To anybody else, it would have looked like she was whisked away by the wind as her translucent form dissipated and danced in the air like mist.

When Evelynn came back out she had a dark head scarf from which her bangs poked out from beneath and circle-framed glasses. Her normal choice of attire would have been anything skin-tight, and although this outfit was stylish it was purposefully chosen to cover as much skin as possible; a trench coat, leather gloves, knee-high stiletto boots, and a parasol.

“Evie, we’re not going to the Arctic--ACK!”

“Save it!” Evelynn snapped, thrusting her into her purse. “I’d much rather sweat than burn.” Kai’Sa poked her head out of the bag with a whimper.

“Ahri?” Evelynn called to the empty room, “Where are you?”

She felt that cold presence on her shoulder again. “Right here.”

Eve turned her head in that general direction, eyes to the floor. “Thank you,” Ahri whispered, “both of you.”

“We have to stick together, don’t we?” she replied. She opened her parasol with a soft flick. “Now, let’s go. Trying to call a cab at this hour is absolute hell.”

 

Above the honking cars and congested traffic a sharp, lilting whistle struck Evelynn’s ears as she opened the cab door. She whipped her head around with a piercing glare and found the whistler: another catcaller leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a horrid cologne that burnt her nose.

“Eve,” Ahri whispered from inside the cab, “Let him go.”

“Right, right,” she murmured, wiping her nose discreetly.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked. Evelynn told her the address and they were off. When they arrived, Eve got out, tipped the driver, and waved them off. They didn’t suspect a thing.

“That was easy,” she said softly and turned to look at the apartment building.

“What are you going to say?” Kai’Sa asked.

“Well, chances are she might recognize me,” she replied as she walked up the stairs, “I’m going to tell her that I’m also a part of K/DA and she should reconsider her answer.” The clicking of her heels on concrete echoed. The complex was otherwise quiet.

Evelynn stopped in front of the last door on the right facing the front parking lot.

“Is this it?” Ahri whispered.

Evelynn checked the address on her phone. “I believe so.”

She knocked.

At that moment they heard some shuffling and a muffled crash, although to Evelynn’s ears it sounded quite normal. “Now’s a bad time,” a voice behind the door said, “Come back later, sorry!”

“That’s her,” Ahri gasped. “Are you okay?”

“Ahri!” Kai’Sa squeaked, “She can’t see you!”

“I’m fine,” the voice responded, “What do you want? I’m kind of busy.”

Evelynn cleared her throat. “Please,” she said, “If you could just answer the door. I’d rather talk to you in person.”

The door went quiet, even for Evelynn. Then she heard footsteps. Kai’Sa ducked her head in Eve’s bag and Ahri looked out from where she hid behind Evelynn, as a force of habit. They could feel Evelynn’s heartbeat quicken, but she did her best to hide her nerves.

The door opened. In the doorway stood Akali, standing on one foot.

“Hey, uh--”

“Oh my god, your foot is bleeding,” Evelynn cried, taking off her shades, and pushed past Akali into her apartment. “Let me help, what did you do?”

Ahri reached out for her friend but her hand fell through her. “Evelynn, what are you doing--”

“I stepped on a piece of glass,” Akali explained. “My, uh, window was broken last night and I was trying to clean it up.”

“You should sit down,” Evelynn told her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ahri came in and closed the door behind her. The rapper didn’t seem to notice.

Hopping over to her sofa, Akali said, “Y’know, I didn’t exactly say ‘come in’.”

From behind the kitchen counter, which Evelynn gave herself the liberty of placing her purse on, she retorted, “Well are you going to say where the bandages are or are you going to keep bleeding all over yourself?”

“Jeez,” Akali muttered under her breath. “Under the sink,” she called out.

“Is there glass in the cut?”

“Yeah, but--”

“It’s alright, I have tweezers and some napkins in my purse.”

“Eep!” Kai’Sa squeaked as Evelynn rummaged through and in doing so, tossed her around. “Careful,” she whined from underneath a tube of lipstick. Evelynn ignored her.

She approached Akali nursing her foot on the couch.

“Here,” she said, presenting the tweezers and napkins.

“Thanks.” Evelynn could see the cut. It didn’t look incredibly deep, but she could see a shard of glass sticking out from the sole of her foot. Akali gingerly touched the glass with the tweezers and hissed through her teeth, “Shit.”

“Do you need help?” Eve asked.

“No, I got it,” Akali brushed her off. “Sorry, um...Evelynn, right?”

“Yes, that’s me. You’re Akali, yes? The street rapper?”

Akali, still working with the tweezers, smirked. “Guess my reputation precedes me.”

“Yes, I’ve seen your videos. You’re quite talented.”

Through clenched teeth, Akali groaned as she eased the glass out from her skin. As she wiped her foot clean with the napkins, she chuckled. “Hah, thanks, dude. That kid and I are good friends, y’know, we’re not actually out to get each other…” As she was telling Eve about her latest rap battle, a particular stench hit her nose.

It was faint, but it felt familiar: musky, like a dog after it went outside.

And cigarette smoke and the dumpsters from downtown.

“Um, Evelynn?”

“Hmm? Yes, sorry, hon, what did you say?” She stood up, pretending to scan the apartment with her eyes when she more focused on her nose.

“Why are you here? Not to be rude or anything.”

“Do you,” she asked, “have a dog around here?”

Akali was quiet, confused. “Uh, no?”

“Certainly smells like you do.”

“...Haven’t cleaned. Was about to, but then--” she pointed to her foot, “y’know?”

“Right,” she said softly. “Evie,” she heard a tiny voice call. She glanced over at her purse, cocked an eyebrow, and then looked away. “Eve, what are you doing?” Ahri whispered from beside the door. No response, or even a reaction.

“Do you have a cat then?”

“No, I, uh, was just dog-sitting,” Akali told her. “For my neighbor. That’s why it smells.”

“And the hair, too?”

“Very hairy dog.”

“Ah,” she sighed.

“Did you just come to insult my apartment?”

She scoffed. “Apartment? This looks like a wolf den.”

Evelynn turned to face Akali, looming over her seated form.

She leaned in, tantalizingly close, baring her teeth as she did and whispered softly, “You would know, wouldn’t you, pet?”

Akali shot up. “You’re the vampire from last night?!”

Kai’Sa peered slowly over the rim of the bag, intrigued. “Evelynn, what does she mean?” Ahri asked.

“In the sweet, sweet flesh,” Evelynn purred.

Akali growled. “What the hell do you want? Gonna threaten me? Gonna ask me to stop prowling in your city?” She, too, stood up, balancing best she could on the ball of her foot. “I ain’t gonna move, Little Miss Sunshine,” she snarled, “Never had another predator in your town? Deal with it. I gotta eat, bitch. Go back up-town, this place apparently isn’t big enough for the both of us.”

Evelynn snatched her purse from the counter. “So it’s a date then?” As she strut for the door, she called out over her shoulder, “I’ll be sure to look pretty for you, pet!”

She heard a thunk as something hit the door as she closed it. Inside the apartment, Akali, who had thrown her shoe, was fuming.

“FUCK YOU, SUCCUBITCH!!! SUCK A DICK INSTEAD!!!”

But Evelynn made her way down the stairs, putting on her glasses with a shit-eating smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, as always!
> 
> So I made a tumblr if you'd like to check it out (although I haven't posted anything other than retweets but I'm happily looking for people to follow). Check my profile for the link.
> 
> I also started playing League of Legends recently! I hadn't really been into it before K/DA (I tried it once before), but now I really enjoy it! If you'd like to add me, my name is kaktuu and I main Miss Fortune!


	3. Plan K/Beloved Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two K/DA members make a plan to turn three into four. Kai'Sa explores the city. Ahri possesses new means of persuasion. Evelynn prepares for battle. Akali meets an old friend.

“Evelynn. Evelynn, answer me,” Ahri called through her guest room door. She banged furiously, shaking the door at its hinges. “Evelynn, god dammit, don’t make me walk through this door--”

She heard a click and went silent. Evelynn opened it. Leaning in the doorway, she cocked an eyebrow, meaning, “speak”.

“Evelynn, what the hell was that?” she demanded.

She was silent for a moment, thinking of how to answer. “Private business, gumiho,” she replied simply. “But I’m handling it.”

Evelynn closed the door, but Ahri walked through anyway.

“Evelynn, do you have any idea what you did?!”

From her bed, she said, “Saved the group?”

“From what?! Just because you’re jealous that you don’t rule the streets anymore?”

Ahri was standing over her bedside. Eve glared at her over her glasses. “Do you know how fragile our situation is? One slip-up, one ‘sighting’ connected to our name, one murder connected to our group member, Ahri, we cannot play around!”

“There won’t be a group to accuse if we don’t get a rapper!”

“Get a human, then.”

“Is this some vampire thing you never bothered to tell us about?”

“Hah! If you’re talking about the whole ‘fur versus fang’ thing, that’s nothing but an overused plot device novelists can’t seem to get enough of.”

She stood up from the bed, glaring intensely.

“This is about dominance,” she growled. She eyed Ahri up and down, then added, “Not that you would understand.”

Ahri was rendered speechless with anger. She stomped away from Eve’s bed, boiling, blubbering sentence fragments, until she finally screamed, “You’re in my house!” Then she vanished through the closed door.

 

Kai’Sa, sitting on the couch, called out to Ahri as she passed, “Are you okay—“

Instead, Ahri flopped face down onto a pillow beside her and let out a muted shriek.

Kai’Sa leaned over. “Y’know, part of me was hoping you’d forget to manifest and that you’d fall through the couch.”

Ahri lifted her head briefly, displeased. “Not helping,” she groaned. She dropped her face back into the pillow. Then, slowly, she sank through the sofa, until all you could see was a hand sticking out from underneath. Her tails waved above the cushions, flicking in annoyance like snakes.

“How can she pull shit like this?!” Ahri complained, “I thought she was on our side.”

“She’s a diva, Ahri,” Kai’Sa agreed.

Ahri looked up, her pouting face phasing through the couch. “She most definitely is.” She sighed wistfully, floating upwards and sat properly on the couch. “I don’t know what to do now.”

“Maybe I could try talking to Akali?” Kai’Sa suggested, “She hasn’t seen me yet.”

Ahri’s ears twitched. “This just got way harder than it needs to be. I don’t even know how that would work, she’s definitely not going to want to join with Evelynn on the team. And even if Evelynn went behind our back, I wouldn’t go behind hers. I’m better than that.” After a moment of brooding she she said, slowly, “I think Evelynn is being selfish.”

“Well, yeah, Ahri,” Kai’Sa replied, “what part of alienating our potential new member with death threats because they stalk the same city isn’t selfish?”

“What if this is important to her?”

“It obviously is.”

“Yeah, but I mean, like, in a way we will never understand.”

“How do you mean?”

Ahri sat up straight. “We’re not predators. I was a normal human not too long ago. And I don’t think you hunt and eat humans. I guess we don’t think like they do. When you’ve lived a certain way your whole life any sort of change can be hard, I guess.”

Kai’Sa considered what she said, then added, “Evie was still mean, though.”

“Yeah...she was.”

“What if, and bear with me,” Kai’Sa began to say, “I go talk to Akali, and it’s just me, and I try to calm her down?”

“But what about Eve?”

“You should try talking to her again. Tell her what you told me.”

The ghost was silent. “Y’know, bokkie, you give some good advice sometimes.”

Kai’Sa giggled. “I’m magical in more ways than one!”

Ahri pulled Kai’Sa into a hug. Kai’Sa felt coolness rush throughout her body and giggled even harder. “You certainly are!”

“There’s still a few sandwiches from this morning on the counter if you want them,” she said, “I’m going out!”

“Already?” Ahri called from the kitchen.

When she turned, there was only a sparkling trail where Kai’Sa once was, leading out the balcony. Ahri looked longingly at the plate on the counter, now cold. “She always forgets…”

Then she had an idea.

“Or she’s incredibly smart!”

She whisked the plate off the counter and went straight to the guest room door.

“Eve,” she called, “Kai’Sa told us to eat leftovers. You want any?”

No response.

“Evelynn, if you don’t open the door I’m going to eat these all by myself,” she teased.

The door knob clicked. Ahri pushed open the door.

“You can’t eat, you know,” was the first thing Evelynn said, clearly unamused. She sat back down on her bed, where she was before, and continued filing her nails into points like claws. Ahri stood in the doorway with the plate in hand.

“Well? Are you going to bring it in?”

“Jeez, Eve, would it kill you to say ‘please’ once in a while?” Ahri walked briskly, dropping the plate on Evelynn’s bed.

Evelynn continued to file her nails, unresponsive. Her bangs covered her eyes from Ahri’s angle. I just wish I knew what was going through her head, she thought.

Another thought hit her: maybe there’s a way.

“Did you have something to say to me or are you just going to stand there?”

When she looked up, Ahri vanished.

“Ahri?”

Then on her bed, Ahri was kneeling beside her and said nothing. She looked at Eve with such intent that it was confusing. But then Ahri leaned in, without breaking eye contact.

“Ahri, what are you doing?”

Their foreheads touched gently, then Evelynn felt a coolness rush throughout her body as Ahri sank into her everything.

 

Despite common belief it is much easier to hide in the day than it is at night, at least when you’re a being of light. Daylight becomes camouflage for Kai’Sa. Her tiny form can only fly so high before the wind pushes her out of control, so she’s limited to flying among the city streets, just above the heads of the wandering crowd.

Fear of discovery is the last thing on her mind. People see her glittering wings and believe her to be a butterfly. She knew that. Nobody has ever looked long enough to see otherwise. As for Kai’Sa, it’s the perfect way to observe people in what she considers their natural habitat. She’s lived and continues to live in absolute awe of human culture. As soon as she hit the main streets of the city, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her.

Just like the old days, she thought to herself gleefully, Just look at all these people!

To a magical creature like her, this, too, seemed especially magical.

She was so consumed with the intricate comings and goings of the city that she nearly forgot why she was there in the first place: to find the home of one person.

While she was trying to retrace her steps and scrape up memories of the cab ride, someone caught her eye and she decided to follow. They look...familiar, she thought and she began to wonder where she’s seen them before.

As she flew over them, she could hear his voice, bragging, laughing with the group as they walked with such a confidence it was like they were patrolling the streets of their turf.

“Akali’s tough, but nothing can quench the Heart of the Tempest,” she heard him say, “The Heart of the Tempest beats eternal--”

“And those beaten remember eternally,” his friend finished for him. He didn’t even look down at him; the so-called Heart of the Tempest appeared childlike beside him. “You’ll beat her one day.”

The Tempest grunted in agreement.

“Oh, wow,” Kai’Sa gasped, “It’s Akali’s rap buddy!”

Suddenly, he whipped around. “Who said that?!”

Kai’Sa gasped and dove behind a street sign, pressing her tiny body to the cold metal.

“What did you hear?”

The Heart of the Tempest was quite for a moment, eyeing the street behind them. “Thought I heard someone say Akali’s name,” he replied curtly.

His friend put a hand on his shoulder. “Kennen,” he said, “You’re paranoid. Let’s go back to the dojo.”

The Tempest sighed. “Whatever you say, Shen.”

Once she heard footsteps scuffling on gravel, she sighed with relief. With little fingers gripping the ledge, she peered over the edge of the sign. “So this is Akali’s friend,” she muttered to herself, moving her head to rest on her arms. “He’s the perfect size…”

 

Evelynn collapsed onto her bed in a heap, eyes wide open like they were forced. They were milky for a moment, a dulled brown, until she blinked and their amber glow returned.

“I’m sick of you being so selfish,” she shouted, but she didn’t plan to. It felt as automatic as breathing. She gasped, which she hoped was of her own volition.

“Ahri?! What--how did you--”

“Just once,” she interrupted herself, “I want to know what you’re thinking! Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

There was no response.

“I can make you talk, Evelynn,” she threatened. Eve felt her brow furrow, her eyes squinting in disbelief.

Eve’s head whipped around violently, ear pressed to her shoulder. “Shut up!” she spat, “Get out of my body!”

“No! Not until I sense that you’re even a little bit sorry.”

“For what?”

“For screwing us over!”

“I did not screw anyone over, I was protecting--”

“You were protecting your ego, succubitch!”

Her body continued to writhe back and forth between the two spirits, wrestling for control over the same vessel. Her hands contorted into gnarly shapes, her neck whipped back and forth.

“Ahri, stop it, this hurts--” Out of her throat came strained, thin hissing as Evelynn bared her fangs, clawing at the air for freedom. As she tried to stand up she lurched forward, rolled off the bed, and slumped to the ground, feeling her legs betray her. Her cheek pressed to the ground, mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for water. She felt a trail of spit leave the corner of her mouth. She didn’t dare move.

“I’m sorry,” she said to herself, “but you’re being a diva.”

Mid-gasp, Evelynn let out a weak, airy chuckle. “That is my reputation, gumiho.” Once she caught her breath, she broke the silence. “But you’re right. I was being a ‘succubitch’.”

Out of the corner of her eye Evelynn saw a translucent form rise from the ground. Turning her head slowly, she saw Ahri standing over her.

“Yeah,” she said softly, “You were.”

Ahri extended a hand. Evelynn smiled, showing she accepted the gesture, but she knew it would be impossible this time, so she rose to her feet herself.

“I never knew you could possess other people, gumiho.”

“That’s another thing you were wrong about, Eve,” she said. “I am a predator. The music industry is my territory, and I want it back.”

“Wow, Ahri, I’m impressed.”

Ahri shrugged rather smugly. “I’m getting what I want.” But more seriously, she added, “I want us to form K/DA and go back to the stage. But I also want Akali.”

Eve grew darker at that. “You know I can’t take back what I said to her.”

“But you can persuade her!” Ahri cried. “Listen, I can’t stop you two from fighting, but at least make a deal. She wins, you move to a different part of town--” (Evelynn began to object, but Ahri continued) “but, if you win, she has to join K/DA. Final offer.”

Evelynn said nothing, and sat down on her bed. She was clearly brooding the idea. “It’s a win-win, Eve,” Ahri began to explain frantically, “if you beat her, we both get what we want: dominance, and a new member.”

Evelynn sighed. She took off her glasses and began to clean them with the corner of a blanket. “You really want her, huh,” she said plainly.

“Not just her. I want K/DA to become the new golden children of music.”

“Yes, I know,” Eve replied, placing her glasses gently on the delicate frame of her nose. “So do I.”

“So it’s a deal?”

Evelynn smirked.

“Of course, gumiho.”

 

Back inside her apartment, Akali was fuming. Having swept up as much glass and hair as she could, she threw the plastic bag away with a huff and limped back over to the couch where she flopped back-first, one arm splayed across her torso and the other hanging off the sofa.

She leaned her head back on the arm rest and just groaned, loudly. She was by herself after all, she could do what she wanted. And she felt like screaming, especially after that confrontation with the ‘succubitch’, so she did.

Then she snickered to herself. “Heh, succubitch, huh. That was pretty good, I should use that in a rap or something.” But it struck her that none of her buddies were vampires, or werewolves. I guess it’ll live in infamy, she thought.

Akali laid there for a bit, blankly staring at her ceiling fan. Her exhaustion was settling in again as it struck her that she’d be transforming again in a few hours. She looked at the sky through her shattered window and saw a bright afternoon. It wouldn’t be long before the sun begins to go down and night would fall, and so too would her human form. She rested her arm across her forehead, sighing.

Just as she felt herself drifting off to sleep, some knocks at her door startled her awake. She groaned, rolling off the couch and hobbled over to the door.

“Who is it?” she called, resting an elbow on the door.

“The Heart of the Tempest!” she heard.

Shit, she cursed herself.

Akali hesitated for a moment and then unlocked her door. When she opened it, she saw the little, childish form was standing there.

“What do you want, Kennen?” she asked gruffly.

Kennen gulped, momentarily confused. “I thought we were good friends,” he cried in faux-dismay and pouted.

She knitted her brow. Leaning against her door frame with her arms crossed, “I haven’t talked to you outside of the rap scene for years, dude. Thought we established that I didn’t want to be connected to the Kinkou when I left.”

“W-well, I thought we should fix that! Y’know, the whole friendship thing!” he stammered, “Erm, may I come in?”

Akali sniffed, clearly indifferent. “Whatever, dude.” She stepped aside.

“Why, thank you!”

As soon as he was inside, the door behind him slammed shut.

“Who the hell are you?!” Akali demanded. She had a hand still on the door.

Kennen began to shake. “Erm, excuse me--”

Akali loomed over him now. “Answer me.”

“I-i-i’m your friend--”

Akali shoved Kennen to the ground, pinning him under her weight. Her hand darted for his arm, forcing his wrist into a sore position behind his back. “Bullshit!” she hissed into his ear. Kennen only whimpered.

“You don’t smell like Kennen.”

The body underneath her vanished suddenly. Akali couldn’t see how, there was a bright flash, but the arm she captured disappeared from her grip. She was kneeling on her floor now, holding nothing.

“I guess the jig is up,” she heard a small voice say.

Her gaze darted up. In front of her was a tiny, glittering form no bigger than her hand.

“What the…”

“My name is Kai’Sa,” she said, “I just wanted to talk.”

Akali sat up, fists on her thighs. “So why didn’t you just knock?”

“Well, it’s about K/DA,” she explained, “My friend Ahri reached out to you, right?”

“Yeah, and sorry, I already told her I wouldn’t do it.” Akali stood up and hobbled back to the couch. Kai’Sa flew after her.

“Yes, I know, but we really do need you!”

Akali scoffed. “You don’t want me,” she said, “I’m gonna be trouble.” She picked up the TV remote and switched on the TV, but Kai’Sa, with all her might, jumped on the power button, switching it back off.

“Hey!”

“We’re all trouble!” Kai’Sa cried. “You think you’re the only one with a secret?”

After another flash, not as blinding when it wasn’t as close, a human form stood in front of her. Akali’s look softened from disinterest to intrigue.

“So you’re a fairy,” she said plainly.

“Yes, and I know your secret,” she replied with a flashy return to her fairy form.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes, I know you’re a werewolf!”

Akali just about jumped. “How’d you find that out?”

“Um...well, you see, I visited your apartment earlier.”

“When?”

Kai’Sa looked uneasy. “When my friend Evelynn was here…?”

Akali shot up. “You’re friends with the ‘succubitch’?!”

“As funny as that name is, she can actually be really sweet sometimes, she just has her edges--”

“Edges, my ass!”

“Please, listen!” Kai’Sa pleaded, “We didn’t expect her to do that, we planned for her to just talk to you about joining K/DA--”

“What do you mean ‘we’? There’s more of you?”

“Okay, so, long-story short, Ahri is actually a ghost, I’m a fairy, and Evelynn’s a vampire.”

“Holy shit,” she muttered.

“Yeah, so, you see, we want to make music, just like you do. I’ve seen you rap and you are the coolest! You are like a ninja!”

Akali nodded slowly, listening.

“My friend Ahri really wants to return to the music world, and we have a chance, an offer at a label even, but only if we return a four-girl pop idol group!”

“I told you,” Akali said sternly, “I can’t perform at night. Plus, I’d rather starve than agree to work with the ‘succubitch’.”

“Okay, one, her name is Evelynn but I call her Evie because it’s fun tease her, and two, we can work around that!”

Akali scoffed, walking past her to the kitchen.

Kai’Sa followed behind her. “Is Evelynn really a deal breaker?”

“Yeah,” she replied curtly and began rummaging through a drawer.

“Is it, like, a vampire-werewolf thing?”

“No, it’s a predator thing. I got too much pride to back down to some up-tight bloodsucker who thinks they’re entitled to any body they suck blood from. They don’t even drain the poor saps dry most of the time, unless there’s more than one but if there’s a whole coven in this city I think I would know.”

“Yuck…” Kai’Sa retched under her breath. “Okay, well, what if I talk to Evelynn and we make a truce?”

“I think you’ve talked enough.”

With lightning-fast speed, Akali swiped down on her tiny form with a flyswatter, crushing her on the kitchen counter. When she lifted the swatter, she saw Kai’Sa, lying dazed, her glow dimmer than before. But just as Akali checked to see if she killed her, Kai’Sa unpeeled herself from the counter, shook her head, and rose back in the air with a new, pulsating glow. “That was rude!” she cried.

“Sorry, but I apparently didn’t make my message clear the first time.”

“Hmph! Apparently neither did I!” Kai’Sa flew incredibly close to Akali, pushing against her nose with every argument like humans push against each other’s chest when irritated. “You have a secret, we have a secret. We want to make music, you want to make music. When are you going to get off your high-horse and realize that you need a pack to protect you?!”

She must have caught Akali off-guard because she seemed to consider what she said.

“I...I work alone. It’s better this way, for everyone.”

Akali pulled back the flyswatter. “That means doing needs to be done.”

Alert from last time, Kai’Sa managed to dart out of the flyswatter’s arc.

“Akali, I’m really sorry, but I have to do this!”

She dived for Akali’s forehead and while taking it into her arms, she kissed it as hard as she could. Fluttering in the air, she watched Akali grow sleepy, stagger and collapse in her own kitchen.

 

Later that night, Evelynn went out to the balcony just as she did the night before. She stripped and took off. She landed in a different alley this time, as close as she could although her old one no longer had clothes hidden, but came out wearing similar black clothing which she had stashed away before.

On her way to the street from last night, she walked past the same greaser with a bandage around his neck. He froze. She winked at him over her glasses and continued her way. She even had the audacity to wait by that same curb, forcing him to wait until she left.

And she waited a long time.

Weirdly enough, the werewolf never showed up and eventually she flew home, but not before having a snack.

 

Having arrived on the balcony, Evelynn reclothed and walked back inside. There she found Ahri waiting on the couch.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

“She didn’t show up.”

“What?!”

“Yes, it’s a shame,” she lilted, “especially after all that talk.”

Evelynn sat down by Ahri, spreading her arms across the back so that one rested behind her. “Do you think I should go visit her again tomorrow?”

“No, she’s made herself clear,” Ahri sighed. She leaned her head against Evelynn’s shoulder.

“Don’t be so glum, gumiho, we’ll find someone,” she told her.

“Maybe,” she said, “but not somebody like us.”

“Who knows,” Eve replied, “We may get lucky.”

They heard footsteps and turned their heads. Kai’Sa came out of the guest room in her human form. “I think that’s one way to put it?” she said, meekly.

“What do you mean?” Ahri asked. Eve cocked an eyebrow.

“You’re going to want to see this.”

She gestured to the guest room. Ahri and Evelynn exchanged glances with one another before getting up and following Kai’Sa. There, she guided them to the closet.

“Bokkie,” Evelynn whispered cautiously, “what did you do?”

She didn’t respond. Instead she opened the closet door and out fell Akali’s body, limp and mostly human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading~ <3
> 
> I'm going to try to actually post stuff on tumblr instead of just reblogging, feel free to check me out for some behind the scenes stuff and possibly excerpts of original works!


	4. A Minor Hiccup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akali gives her final response to K/DA's request. Evelynn, and Kai'Sa have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

“Foxy--Hic!”

“Oh no, oh no, oh no…”

“Gumi--Hic!”

“We’re screwed, we’re so screwed!”

“Ahri!” Evelynn called sternly, stepping in front of the ghost, “If you’re going to pace around like that, then stop walking through us and watch where you’re going.”

“I wouldn’t be pacing if somebody didn’t bring a werewolf to our apartment,” she hissed, hugging herself.

“I was just trying to help,” mumbled Kai’Sa, leaning against the closed guest room door, “She hit me with a flyswatter, what was I supposed to do?”

Evelynn snickered.

“It’s not funny!” Kai’Sa cried, “It hurt a lot!”

Eve did her best to hide her smile behind her hand. “Karma,” she lilted, earning her a raspberry from Kai’Sa.

“What would you have done, Evelynn?”

“Oh, darling, I would come home with a new fur coat!”

“You guys,” Ahri groaned, “this isn’t the time for jokes!”

“Bold of you to assume I was joking.”

Pointing at Kai’Sa, she shouted, “You just kidnapped someone, and you,” pointing at Evelynn now, “and I are accomplices now! Are you guys even taking this seriously?!”

Evelynn’s face stiffened. “We are, gumiho, but you’re the only panicking.”

“I’m the only one that’s being reasonable!” she shouted and, rolling her eyes, walked past her friends, hearing two voices go, “Hic!” as she passed through. She stomped down the hall before turning and stomping back. “What are we going to do when she wakes up?!”

“She’s gonna be pissed,” teased Evelynn.

Ahri leaned against the wall and slowly slumped to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and covering her face in her arms. “This is so embarrassing,” she whined, her fox ears drooping, “She’s never going to join us now.”

Evelynn kneeled beside her. “If it makes you feel better,” she whispered, “they can’t arrest you because you’re legally dead.”

Ahri’s face shot up with a glare. “You’re. Not. Helping!”

“Hmph!” Evelynn stood up. Ahri hid her face again.

Kai’Sa was leaning her ear against the door. “Um, guys? I think she might be waking up soon.”

“I thought you put her in an enchanted sleep,” Eve said.

“Well, that could last all night on humans,” she explained slowly, “but she’s not completely human. If anything, the pain of transforming might be enough to wake her up.”

Evelynn also put her ear to the door and heard thumping and pained groans.

“Ahri,” she passed her foot through the ghost’s form, faux-nudge, “Pass through and see if she’s awake.”

“Why do I have to?” she whined, leaning her head back.

“Because she can’t hurt you.”

“I don’t wanna…”

“Ahri.”

“Fine…”

Letting her back sink through the wall, Ahri crawled through to the guest room. The closet was still open. Akali, still tied up (thanks to Evelynn), was still slumped on the floor. But she was twitching. Kai’Sa was right when she mentioned the pain of transforming, that’s exactly what it looked like. The first thought Ahri had when she saw what was becoming of Akali was, Oh, you poor thing.

Akali’s mouth was agape and she could see her white teeth stained red; a trail of bloodied spit came out of both corners. Even while asleep, she was wincing in pain. Her legs looked the worst. The curvature in her femur, an otherwise straight and long bone, became exaggerated, making her legs appear longer. The bones in her shin jutted out just underneath her knee, making an unpleasant crackling sound as new joints formed in legs. It would have sent chills down Ahri’s spine if she could feel it. Her foot seemed strangled by the gause that she had wrapped earlier. Ahri, absolutely stunned, could not turn away, even though she could she the bones crawling, breaking apart and fusing back together under Akali’s skin which looked rubbery, growing more unreal the longer she watched. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her.

Then Akali’s head careened back as her neck grew thicker, her eyes bloodshot and forced wide open. She was looking right at Ahri who was too terrified to process it. Her heart didn’t even sink. She crawled closer. Akali was groaning now, making choked, guttural noises reminiscent of growls. She was less human by the second. What Ahri saw now, a spindly, still partially hairless being with scraps of clothes clinging to their form, looked pitiful.

But she wouldn’t stay that way for long and Ahri knew that.

One of the bandages around Akali’s foot snapped and it was then that she knew it was time to go. But she didn’t leave. She couldn’t. Part of her wanted to flee, but another part of her wanted to help, put the poor beast out of its misery. The creature, Akali, began squirming now, jostled by a growing form and muscle spasms, rocking back and forth, arching her back, with the rope digging into her skin as she grew.

Ahri heard knocking at the door.

“Ahri?” It was Evelynn. “Everything okay in there?”

“Um…” Ahri thought for a moment. “Yes, I’m fine. Akali’s in a lot of pain though.”

“Serves her right.” Ahri didn’t respond to that.

When she looked back, Akali had rapidly begun to grow hair, masking her form, but she could see the bones in her face extend, become pointed like a muzzle, stretching her lips to inhuman levels. The rope around her began to fray and snap fiber by fiber, no longer able to contain the beastial form.

“Foxy,” Kai’Sa called, “I think you should get out.”

“I will,” she said, without looking away, “Just give me another minute.”

“You may not have another minute.” She pretended to not have heard.

Kai’Sa was right. Ahri watched as the werewolf dug their claws into the ground, tips puncturing the hardwood, and clambered to their feet. She had to remind herself that she was looking at Akali. As the last of the fur grew in, there seemed to be no more growing, yet the wolf still acted as if they were bracing for something.

She saw her nose twitch, nostrils flaring widely. Then a deep, gurgling sound rose in Akali’s throat, lips peeled back as if she was trying to speak.

“Akali?” Ahri said, “What are you trying to say?”

The wolf’s head shot up. She still clung nervously to the ground, pointed teeth grinding.

“Akali?”

It suddenly hit her, how the wolf looked at her. She began to slowly back up, but the wolf slowly prowled forward, shedding the broken coils.

“Akali, it’s me: Ahri,” she frantically explained, her voice going airy. But Akali’s haunches lowered to the ground.

“Ahri?” Evelynn called. The wolf’s ears pricked at her voice and the snarling intensified.

The werewolf lunged.

“Eep!”

Ahri leapt for the wall and just as her tails disappeared to the other side, the three of them heard a wall-shaking thump.

She stumbled out the other side just as Akali’s muzzle smashed against the door.

“Damn it, Ahri,” Evelynn hissed. She knelt beside her, “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Ahri chuckled softly. “You know I can’t be hurt, Eve.” And it was true. Despite a rough landing, there were no scrapes or bruises for she had no flesh; she had no heart to beat faster in her chest, no lungs to lose breath.

“I know,” she said. She nodded, and repeated, softer, “I know.”

Kai’Sa jumped in front of the door, pressing her back against it in hopes of keeping it shut. But Akali threw herself against it, raking her claws across.

“Where’s the Big Bad Wolf now?” Evelynn sneered, “What, are you going to blow our house down?”

“Evie! Don’t taunt her!”

“Can’t you just charm her back to sleep, bokkie?”

“No,” she was interrupted by another thud and crash, “At least I don’t think so. Her transformation broke my spell. She isn’t human anymore, and I’ve never charmed another creature like us before! We don’t play by human rules.” Another thud that sent her stumbling caused Evelynn to leap up and guard the door with her.

“What are we going to do? She’s gonna break free,” Kai’Sa cried.

“Not if I can help it,” Evelynn swore.

“Eve, the deal!” Ahri added, “Make the deal!”

“Right.” Over her shoulder, she called through the door, “Oh, pet, I have a proposition for you!”

Through the door, the clawing intensified. They heard only beastial rumbles, snarls and gruff barks, deeper even than a dog’s. Ahri and Kai’Sa could barely make out anything even vaguely human, but Evelynn pieced together, “Release me, succubitch!”

“We’ll release you,” she called, “but only if you join K/DA.”

The scratching slowed. The girls shared a look of hope.

“Is that a yes?”

BANG!

“I guess not!”

BASH!

Ahir could see the wood around the door hinges begin to splinter as the door shook. She only grew more violent, she realized.

She leaned her head to the wall, manifesting enough so that she wouldn’t fall through, and sat there, at the feet of her friends. “Stop it,” she said.

“What did you say?” Evelynn asked. Truth was she heard her the first time, but out of concern she wanted to make sure.

“I said, let her go!”

Kai’Sa and Evelynn exchanged glances with one another before diving out of the doorway, narrowly avoiding the splintering wood, practically shredded, as Akali burst through.

From the floor, she loomed over them, which was probably why she barely seemed to acknowledge them as she dashed down the hallway, crashing through the kitchen. The three of them watched as she ran for the balcony.

Ahri was the first one to react. “Akali, no!”

But the werewolf was already barreling through the glass door, spraying glass like water droplets. And then she went over the balcony edge, disappearing into the night.

  
  
 

It was just the three of them now, a turned-over apartment, and broken glass doors. Moonlight shone through Ahri’s kneeled form. Eve and Kai’Sa watched along with her, saying nothing.

But then, against the lights of the city and the hazy, purple sky a hairy, brown creature floated past the balcony and slowly up into the sky. If they didn’t know any better, they would’ve thought it to be trash, or an ugly balloon.

Ahri, in disbelief, began to say, “She’s…”

“Flying!” Kai’Sa finished with delight.

They rose to their feet, slowly, but then cautiously approached their broken glass doors. The werewolf was still in sight, rotating gently in the air. They stared as long as they could, getting closer when she approached the edge of their vision.

Ahri rushed over the minefield of glass to the balcony. “But how?!”

Kai’Sa returned to her fae form and was checking the kitchen. “My fairy dust!” she cried in disdain, hovering over her spilled jar. “Aw, she must’ve knocked it over when she was rampaging through our kitchen.”

“It’s multi-purpose?” Eve asked.

“A lot of magic is empowered by intention,” she explained, doing her best to scoop as much as could back into the jar, “Akali must’ve knocked it over and covered herself in it when she barreled through here like a barbarian! Her intention was to escape, so she did. But she’s not magical the same way I am, so I guess it didn’t do exactly what she really wished for.”

Ahri winced. “How do we get her down?”

“Same way I remove the dust off of you,” she replied.

“Well, we have to disenchant her,” Ahri said, “and apologize. Or at least, I want to.” She glanced at Evelynn, who closed the jar for Kai’Sa. If she noticed her gaze, she didn’t show it.

“I can take you up there,” Kai’Sa told her, “Ghosts are, quite literally, as light as air..”

“Please,” she whispered.

“I’ll start cleaning up,” Eve said off-handedly, leaving the kitchen disappearing down the hall into the dark.

Kai’Sa flew over the clutter of the kitchen and met Ahri on the balcony. The werewolf had seemed to have stopped, now suspended over the cityline by an invisible thread even higher than their penthouse.

“Give me your hand.”

“Um…” Ahri held out a finger.

Kai’Sa shrugged. “Good enough.”

The little fairy grasped Ahri’s finger and for the first time, someone was touching her and she didn’t have to do anything at all. No concentration, no mental muscle being contracted to manifest. She actually felt pressure around her fingertip, she truly did and this shocked her.

“How...how are you touching me?”

“Ghosts are just manifestations of lingering energy,” she said, she fluttering higher. Ahri felt herself lift off her heels, the balls of her feet, her toes, and then she couldn’t sense the ground at all. Yet this was the lightest she ever felt. She watched Kai’Sa lift her gently.

The fairy beamed at her. “Isn’t this cool? I’m manipulating your energy into something tangible!”

Ahri looked down. “Yeah...it sure is, bokkie.” They were quickly rising higher above the balcony and soon she could see streetlights below her. Breathless, she whispered, “This is amazing, bokkie.” Her lungs hung freely beneath her. It was like walking on stars.

She glanced up at the fairy who held her finger, but she wasn’t even paying attention. Instead her eyes were on the werewolf that they were now quickly approaching. Akali was quick to notice as well. She lunged, maw gaping, but she didn’t move from her spot; it only spun her a little faster and she was growling in frustration.

“Akali, are you okay?” Kai’Sa asked.

The werewolf’s voice was deep and gravely, but the moon was no longer at its highest point. Already it was beginning to set and some of Akali’s human features were beginning to return despite having recently transformed. She was starting to shed and her muzzle was stouter. Her posture morphed and at best she could pass for a hairy, hunch-backed human with deformed appendages. Usually the pain of transforming twice in one night was enough to knock her out, but the adrenaline had her wide awake. “No thanks to you,” they heard

“Actually, it was thanks to me,” she replied matter-of-factly, “It was because of my fairy dust that you didn’t fall to your doom! What were you thinking?! We were on a penthouse level…” Akali snarled as Kai’Sa continued to scold, lips curling back to show her sharpened teeth.

“Akali,” Ahri interjected. They turned their head to the floating girl. Kai’Sa stopped her scolding, Akali quit her growling. “Akali, I’m sorry. I never thought it would get like this. I thought they were just going to talk to you! I didn’t expect the, uh, the threats, and the kidnapping, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

The werewolf seemed to consider her for a moment. “Is that really you, Ahri?” she asked, her voice gradually growing clearer the less beast-like she became.

Ahri sighed. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m dead and now I’m a ghost. I look...ghastly, huh.”

“Nah,” she told her, “In this light? You look like you’re made of constellations, like a galaxy.”

“It’s only thanks to Kai’Sa you can see me at all.” More slowly, she added, “To tell you the truth, Akali, I have no clue what I’m doing. I’m sorry for wasting your time. I’m not even sure K/DA is a good idea anymore. There’s so many things to watch out for, we’re all risking our lives and for what?”

“For music,” Akali told her. Kai’Sa slowly reached out and steadied the werewolf so that she no longer spun. “Damn, Ahri, I can admire that a lot, dude.”

“Then why won’t you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Risk exposing yourself for music if you love it so much! I’m terrified, dammit, and all you do is hide.”

Akali clamped her muzzle shut, but a stifled growl began to shake the back of her throat.

“You don’t know how lucky you are that you can just go out everyday,” Ahri began to scream, something inside her igniting. It shut the werewolf up. “I’ve been a ghost for five years! Nobody has seen me, nobody has touched me, the entire world believes I’m missing; I’m legally assumed dead! There are fans who have already given me my flowers. But you? You pass as a human. You can just go for it! Evelynn can just go for it, Kai’Sa can just go for it, but I can’t! Because I’m literally invisible without them.”

“Ahri…” Kai’Sa urged quietly. But Ahri continued.

“I feel like such shit! But you know why they stay in K/DA? Because they need me too, bitch. I’m the only one who’s lived as a normal human until now, I know what goes and what doesn’t. We’re out here actively chasing it. And what are you doing?”

Those last words came out deliberate, heavy, coated in venom and frustration.

Ahri, realizing the silence, started to apologize, “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated,” but Akali told her, “Nah. You’re sort of right.”

“I understand if you don’t want to join anymore.”

“No, really, it’s fine,” she said, “I think we’re all just trying to get by in this crazy world.”

The two of them were silent, just them and the fairy who put them there.

Akali eventually said, “Listen, I appreciate the offer.”

“I know,” Ahri replied.

“And I’ll do it--”

“You’ll what?”

“I said I’ll join K/DA. I like your moxie, dude. And you’re right. When you put it like that, we’re all just trying to make it through, yeah? And I hate not being able to go for what I want. I thought I was before, but I can see now that was only just the start. I want to do better. So, yeah, I’ll join.”

Below her a thin curtain of hair was falling gently like snow. Her legs were still in that dog-like shape but her palms was less broad and her nails could pass for acrylic stilettos if you discount the matted blood and looked fast enough. Even her eyes were slowly shrinking to human pupils. But little did they know that it was taking everything she had to be conscious. As she spoke those last words, her head slumped to her neck and went still.

Ahri stared in disbelief.

“I think...she’s asleep?” Kai’Sa said.

“Yeah...yeah, I think so too.”

“Should we bring her inside?”

“Yeah.”

The fairy gently blew on the werewolf and, with glittering dust and hair flying to the wind, Akali’s sleeping body descended slowly. Kai’Sa led Ahri down with her. Evelynn was waiting on the balcony below, in her pajamas and rubber sandals with her arms crossed.

Ahri landed on the balcony first, gently, like an angel made of starlight. As Akali descended, Kai’Sa led her into Evelynn’s arms. At first she wrinkled her nose in distaste but said nothing as she saw that she was unconscious.

“Well?”

“She’s in,” Ahri told her, still giddy with disbelief.

“Okay,” Evelynn sighed. “Where are we keeping her then?”

“She can have my bed,” Kai’Sa said.

“Oh, no,” Eve shot back, “I am not sleeping with the werewolf.”

“Would you rather her have your bed?”

“It’s okay, Eve, you can share my bed,” Ahri offered.

Evelynn glared at Kai’Sa, who told her, “You’re gonna have to learn to share eventually.” Eve rolled her eyes and sauntered inside with Akali in her arms. Without turning back, she said, “Get your stuff, bokkie.”

  
  
 

Evelynn dropped Akali unceremoniously on Kai’Sa’s old guest bed. She scoffed, “Guess you’re one of us now.” She eyed the werewolf a little longer before plopping down on her own bed with a sigh. “I need a drive,” she told herself, but stayed right where she was, watching their new member’s sleeping form out of the corner of her eye.

   
  


Ahri sat with her legs crossed on her bed and watched Kai’Sa bring in the last of her personal belongings from the guest room.

“I hope you’ll be comfortable,” she said.

She dropped her last suitcase with a thud and promptly turned back to her fae form. “I’ll be fine!” she exclaimed. Kai’Sa fluttered to the pillow beside Ahri’s and gently sat down same way as she. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” she told her.

The fairy tilted her head. “We have Akali on our team now.”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“But you don’t sound excited?”

Ahri repositioned herself, resting her elbows on her legs, letting her head hang forward. “I am happy. Really, I am. It’s just all happened so fast that I don’t know...what to feel, I guess?”  
“Maybe you just need some sleep.”

Ahri brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Yes. Yes, you’re right, bokkie.”

“Alrighty, then!” Kai’Sa stood up. “Good night, foxy!”

Just as she turned to fly away, Ahri said, “Wait, you’re not going to sleep here?”

“Oh, I was going to sleep on one of the house plants! Trying to sleep in my human form is kind of becoming a chore. Plus, I don’t need to practice anymore since we have nothing to hide from Akali! Why?”

Ahri hesitated, her fingers trailing idly on the bedspread. “No reason,” she told her.

“Okay, well…” Kai’Sa smiled at her. “Sleep well, foxy!” she whispered. And as she flew away, she heard the faint, hollow whisper of the ghost bidding her good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Check out my tumblr if you want more cryptid headcannons!
> 
> Notice with Chapter 5: https://eramia.tumblr.com/post/182226436085/delay-with-chapter-5


	5. She Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahri does her best. Evelynn makes a deal. Kai'Sa shows Akali something wonderful. It's pandemonium at first, but Akali never ceases to show that she is, indeed, one of them.

Whenever Akali woke up after transforming, she only knew heat and throbbing, pounding pain. Her body acted as if it were recovering from injuries in a way, which was partially true. In order to become something different it had to change fundamentally, right down to the bone. Break everything down and start from scratch. Yet oddly enough there were never any bruises, no fractures, no deep tearing of muscle although it certainly felt that way. If any doctor would observe her body under the premise of a medical emergency, they would find it appear to be a false alarm. Other than her complaints of intense soreness, there would be nothing substantially there.

None of this was new to her, except, maybe for the first time, she wasn’t a crumpled heap on the floor. When she opened her eyes she found herself in a bed, under light sheets, and best of all, mostly free of beast hair. Gathering the strength to move she sat up, gingerly pulled away the covers, and slowly shuffled her legs over the edge of the bed. As her feet touched the ground she stepped into something cold and wet, but she was too exhausted to be truly shocked. Instead, she looked down and noticed a pot with cool water with a folded rag draped over the rim.

Akali looked at the bed across from her and snickered. There was Evelynn, the famously chic and godlike, slouched on one arm, in sweats, in the bed across from her, drooling, strands of hair caught in the corner of her mouth and glued to her chin with spit. It was a hilarious sight.

“Damn, I thought you were supposed to be a hot vampire,” she remarked under her breath, “but you look more like sasquatch shit, my dude.” It was as she reached for her phone to take a picture that she realized she didn’t have it. Nor was she wearing her old clothes from last night, which she was sure were shreds by now. Still, this was somebody’s white nightgown but they were not her baggy shirt and loose bottoms combo.

Putting the mystery aside, she slowly rose to her feet and hobbled out of the room. Ahri’s apartment was not hard to navigate. Hearing commotion in the kitchen made it easier to find it. With one hand on the wall to steady her, Akali peered out from the corridor.

“G’morning,” she called out, eyes on the ground to watch her step.

“Morning?’ a voice said, “It’s almost supper!”

“Huh?” Akali looked up from the floor. She saw nobody in the kitchen, yet a pot was on the stove, bubbling.

“Oh, right, Kai’Sa didn’t dust me this morning.” Akali watched two oven mitts seemed to lift themselves off the counter and fill with invisible hands. One of them waved. “It’s me, Ahri!”

“Oh, hey.” Akali offered a small wave back and took a seat at the counter.

“Watch your step for a little bit. We’re not sure if we picked up all the glass yet.”

Akali eyed the empty door frames that lead to the balcony, “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“No worries. It was partially our fault, really.” The oven mitts went back to tending to the pot on the stove.

“How long was I out?” Akali asked, bracing herself for the answer.

“Almost the whole day,” Ahri told her. “I’m making you some soup since you didn’t eat anything all day.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, dude but I’m not that hungry.”

The mitts jumped. “Not at all?”

“I mean, didn’t I go out hunting?”

The mitt that was stirring the pot slowed to a stop. “Do you not remember last night?”

“No, no, of course I do!” she added hastily, “I mean, most of it!”

“Oh.”

“I remember what you said, Ahri. I just don’t remember what happened afterwards. You guys let me go, right? I wonder why I didn’t go home.”

“Oh, right. You passed out after our conversation. Kai’Sa, Eve, and I brought you in. We figured it was the least we could do after…y’know.”

Akali nodded. She knew.

“Right, right. Well...thanks for the gown. Not really my type but it is comfortable.”

Ahri chuckled softly. “It’s Eve’s. Took a little convincing to get her to lend it to you.”

She scoffed. “Hard to believe the succubitch would do anything for me.”

Ahri thought of Eve carrying the newly-transformed Akali to bed and smiled, not that anyone could see. She kept this thought to herself. “You two will grow on each other eventually. We’re all in this together after all.”

“Sure. I guess.”

Deciding to switch the topic, Ahri said, “You really scared us last night.”

“Oh, with the transformation?”

“No, with what happened after.” The mitts came off as Ahri moved on preparing meat beside the stove, with a pan on stand-by. “Eve told us you were running a fever and Kai’Sa and I, we got really scared. You just about broke our thermometer!”

“Really?” She hadn’t had anybody tend to her after transforming in a long time, but for somebody’s first time she imagined taking care of a werewolf post-change would be as equally scary as pre-change.

“Mhm. We tried everything, but there wasn’t much we could do to help.”

“That explains why there was a bucket of water by my bed,” Akali laughed. She looked down and smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate the effort.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all!”

“Next time, uh, don’t worry so much. I just ride it out, but eventually my body settles.”

“That must be so painful though.”

Akali shrugged. “I’m usually passed out.”

Ahri set the sizzling pan with meat cutlet and oil on the stove. She stood up and began to come around the counter. “Here, can I help?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” she began to say, but this was where a catastrophic chain of events began to happen.

They will never know who started it, either Ahri not noticing or Akali approaching too quickly. Either way it resulted in Akali tripping over something unseen, Ahri’s shin, and her hand slamming down on the edge of the frying pan which spilt all of the oil onto her hand. The pan clattering to the floor, Ahri profusely apologizing, and Akali screaming were all perfectly loud enough to send Evelynn running out of the guest room with her heart pounding.

“Is everyone okay?!” she cried, looking as if she were ready to vault over the counter like a fireman.

“Oh my gosh, it was an accident.” Just as Ahri began to explain, the front door closed as Kai’Sa entered with grocery bags in her arms.

“What happened?!”

“Apparently, somebody can’t keep their hands off our gimho,” she told her snidely, coming around the counter to help Ahri clean up. Akali, who was clutching her burnt hand, just happened to glance up at this moment. Seeing Evelynn approach, she held her hand out expectantly. Evelynn smirked.

She leaned in and, with a strong stare, whispered, “I can’t keep cleaning up after you, pet.” Then she picked up the pan beside her and walked away to the sink. Muttering under her breath about “that fucking succubitch”, Akali rose to her feet by herself.

“Gumiho, what were you doing--”

Just as Eve was finishing her question, Ahri’s bedroom door slammed shut and the three of them were left to stare.

“Is your hand okay?” Kai’Sa asked. Eve scoffed and marched out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” she mumbled, “It stings a little, but it’s no big deal.”

“Do you want ointment?”

“Nah, it’s fine.” At this point, pain was just inevitable.

Glancing at the stove, Kai’Sa talked as they cleaned. “Whatever Ahri was making can be fixed. There’s still the noodles.” She moved the pot off the stove. “Do you like to cook, Akali?”

“I mean, I can chop. I don’t cook that often.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I mostly get convenience store ramen. That shit is tasty.”

Kai’Sa froze, almost as if Akali had said the most vulgar swear she had ever heard. With a glare so terrifyingly cold, the only words that came out of her mouth were: “That shit...is deadass nasty.” Then as if a switch were flipped she turned back into her bubbly self. “We need to treat you to some real food!”

Akali chuckled nervously. “Aha, sure?”

“Oh, goody! I have plenty of veggies for you to chop on the roof! Here, I’ll just show you!” Before Akali could react, Kai’Sa took her by her good hand and was leading her to the front door.

 

“Ahri? Ahri, it’s me.”

No reply.

“I’m opening the door, gumiho.”

It was unlocked. Evelynn entered the bedroom and saw nobody there.

“Where are you, gumi?”

Out of the corner of her eye the covers on Ahri’s bed shifted. Eve held back a grin as she sat down at the corner of her bed. “Found you,” she whispered.

“Eve, I’m so embarrassed,” Ahri squeaked.

“About what, hon?”

“Everything! Us! We don’t know the first thing about taking care of a werewolf. And worst of all you won’t stop being passive-aggressive! What if she changes her mind?”

Evelynn opened her mouth, ready to retort but then held her tongue. Ahri spoke first. “Sorry.”

Eve sighed. “It’s okay.”

“I’m just really flustered. It feels like, since I’ve died, that nothing seems to be going smoothly.”

“Well, I mean, yeah, you fucking died--”

“Eve.”

She laughed. “Sorry. Hon, everything’s fine. You seem to be the only one who’s upset.”

The covers shifted. “Well this seemed so much easier in my head!”

The vampire gave a tight-lipped smile. “If we’re gonna live with...her, she’ll have to see our real sides. Not the perfect stage personas we show, not even our human facades.” She leaned in, releasing her smirk now and baring her fangs in her wide grin. “Even our pure, monstrous grossness.”

Ahri scoffed but she held back a laugh too. “I think she’s seen enough of our flaws already.”

“We’re only human, gumiho. Well...you’re the most human out of all of us. You’re the only one who's ever been a normal human, period. Point is--”

“I get it, Eve. Nobody’s perfect.”

“Huh. Well that was simple. Feel better?”

“Not really.”

Evelynn bit her lip. “What’s still bothering you?”

Ahri took a deep breath before responding. “Why can’t you and Akali just get along?”

“Hon, I already explained this to you--”

“Yuh-huh, yeah, you’re a predator and feel the need to compare dicks, but, Eve, everybody seems to be okay with Akali here except for you. When are you going to give up this whole werewolf-vampire thing?”

Evelynn blinked and stood up. “Ahri, she’s been here for barely a day! And when I say barely, I mean she spent part of it tearing up your apartment and the other part passed out in your guest bed. She hasn’t even moved out of her apartment yet!”

“Kai’Sa and I decided to help her after the full moon ends.”

“Oh?!” Evelynn began to shout, “You and Kai’Sa? Didn’t even think of asking me?! I live here too ya know, I am also a part of this band.”

“You were asleep, what was I supposed to do?!”

“I only went to sleep after I got you and Kai’Sa to shut up so I didn’t have to listen to you two bitch about Akali.” Eve was standing now.

“Stop yelling at me!” Ahri shrieked, voice breaking. A pillow launched itself in Evelynn’s way, flying right into her face. Eve’s bangs were ruffled, which annoyed her almost as much as the fact that Ahri threw something at her, even if she knew she deserved it.

“Eve, you are so insufferable sometimes! Can’t you at least try to get along with Akali?”

“Ahri--”

“Please, for me?”

There it was. Ahri pulled out the “please, for me” card, as if Evelynn could tell her long-time friend no. And even though she couldn’t see her face, Eve knew damn well that she was pulling puppy eyes at her.

Evelynn hissed through her teeth, smoothing out her bangs, “Damn it, Ahri.” She sighed. “Fine. For your sake and for the sake of the band...I’ll try.”

The covers were still. “You mean it?”

Evelynn sat down, looking at the floor. “Yeah.” The two were silent for a little while longer before Eve said, “I’m sorry for saying you and Kai’Sa were ‘bitching’. You weren’t. I was just angry. I hate that word.”

She couldn’t see but Ahri was nodding. “Me too. Unless somebody says you’re a bad bitch, which we are.”

Evelynn chuckled softly. “Yeah, we most certainly are.”

She felt a cold presence wrap itself around her. “Love you. You’re my best friend and I’m glad you’re here with us.” Evelynn couldn’t help but smile. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she hugged herself, hands on either shoulder. “Love you too, gumiho. You too.”

 

“Are you sure we should be going up this way? What if somebody sees us?”

“Don’t worry about that,” the fairy responded, leading Akali up the stairwell. It was empty but something about the way her voice echoed made Akali uneasy. Kai’Sa turned and fluttered above her nose. “The security in this building is crazy, so it’s not like anybody is going to recognize you.”

Akali looked down at the flights beneath them. “But what if they do?”

“Do you know how rich you have to be to live in this building? How many people do you think actually live here as opposed to using it as a business stay or something? It’s the perfect place to hideout until we start producing music and have to move.”

“Fair enough. I guess that’s why you guys are here.”

“You wouldn’t believe how easy it was,” Kai’Sa giggled as they approached the roof door, “Evelynn holds down Ahri’s apartment for her ‘close and beloved friend’, Ahri and I sneak past security because nobody’s looking for you if they don’t believe you exist, it all works out.”

“But wait, how did I make it past all this crazyass security? You didn’t drag my body across town, did you?” Akali smirked, dimples showing like little crescent dips in her cheeks.

“Fairy secrets. No more questions!” Akali felt a tiny flick against her forehead before being dazzled by a bright flash. The human Kai’Sa told her to close her eyes. Akali complied.

She heard the whining creak of the metal rooftop door as Kai’Sa guided her through. A breeze hit her hands. “And...open!”

When Akali opened her eyes, the only thing reminding her that she was in the middle of the city were the skyscrapers on the horizon, because everything in front of her was absolutely green. If it weren’t for those towering buildings clawing at the edge of the sky, she would’ve believed she were in a meadow. For starters, there was no tile flooring. It was all grass, luscious and vibrantly green. Vegetable plants grew vivaciously, bulging with the weight of its produce. And they were shiny, no bruises or scuff marks to be seen. They were almost artist renditions of tomatoes, chives, lettuce, there was even a pumpkin that would have definitely inspired a second Peanuts Halloween episode.

“Kai’Sa...dude…”

“Do you like it? I grew all of this myself!”

Akali fell to her knees beside and a particularly large eggplant. “This...” she whispered, pointing out to Kai’Sa, holding back laughter, “This is big dick energy right here.”

Kai’Sa knelt beside her. “Um, no, that’s an eggplant? But I mean I suppose it looks vaguely like--”

“Nah, nevermind,” Akali told her. “Have you never seen that meme?”

“...Meme?” Kai’Sa looked genuinely confused.

“You’ve never heard of memes?!” It was Akali’s turn to look deathly shocked. She just about fell over.

Kai’Sa chuckled. “It appears I still have a lot of human culture to discover.” She stood up, beckoning to Akali, “You can tell me while we pick some green onions.”

She led her over to a patch where green onions stuck out of the ground as thick as the grass itself. They were waving gently in the breeze. “Here, let me show you how to pick them.” Kai’Sa demonstrated by pinching them at their stem and snapping. Soon enough they established a rhythm and were chatting while they worked.

“You been with humans long?” Akali asked

“Oh, a few, um, years I think?”

“Yeah?” Akali pinched and snapped one plant, handing it off to Kai’Sa who was making a bundle. “Where were you before this?”

“There was a forest I lived in, completely untouched by humans.”

“Wow, those must be super rare, huh.”

Kai’Sa appeared crestfallen. “Unfortunately. But anyways--oh, do you like tomatoes?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, because I was going to side with Eve and suggest you leave K/DA as well if you didn’t.”

Akali offered a weak chuckle.

“I’m kidding,” Kai’Sa told her. “I used to live in a forest, I believe it was located in South Africa. I was always quite a trickster--”

“Nah, really?” Akali joked, “You seem like cinnamon roll.”

Kai’Sa laughed. “I’m a fairy, but thank you for the compliment.” Akali simply patted her shoulder. “I didn’t get the reference this time, did I?”

“Went right over your head. It’s flying away now. Anyways, continue.”

“Right so, I don’t like to stay in one place for a long time. I eventually decided to explore beyond the forest, which was practically unheard of. But what I found was amazing! I stumbled across...animals I’ve never seen in the forest! And humans are definitely the most weirdest animals of all.”

Akali considered that statement for a moment. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Kai’Sa continued. “But don’t get me wrong, they’re definitely the most wonderful.”

“Tch. How so?”

“Well, I know of Cape Town and its history. It’s really awful and honestly, it made scared of you guys at first.”

Akali nodded solemnly. “It’s shitty. People can be shitty sometimes.”

“But I also know that much of South Africa’s traditions continue despite of it. And that’s what I think is beautiful. The humans that help things grow when they otherwise would have shriveled up and died, to me, are way more fascinating than those that wish to destroy and control.”

Kai’Sa, looking out to the lowering sun on the pink horizon, sighed and rested her chin on her knees. “Sometimes, humans are amazing. All the ways they create and grow and celebrate are absolutely remarkable. That’s why I left my forest in the first place, out of sheer fascination with the world beyond it!”

She turned to Akali, the sunset bright on her cheeks like blush, “I’ve been traveling the world since, dancing and cooking and learning as much about human language as I can.”

“Damn, Kai’Sa, that’s impressive.” Akali was nodding approvingly.

They had moved on from picking tomatoes and were now just sitting in the grass. “You’re going to transform soon, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, it seems so.” Akali rested her hand on her stomach, bracing herself for the imminent pain.

“So only one plate at the table then?”

“Save me some leftovers?”

Kai’Sa giggled. “Of course!” She waited a moment before asking, “Do you want to go back downstairs?”

Akali grinned. “Nah. This is the most peaceful I’ve been in days.” She laid back in the sweet grass, crossing her arms behind her head. It felt soft, almost like down, not itchy at all. Kai’Sa followed suit.

“You guys aren’t as bad I thought, y’know?” Akali said, staring at the sky, “Not that I thought you guys were bad it’s just that first I was scared of outing myself as a werewolf and then that vampire appeared and then—“

“I kidnapped you,” she added playfully.

“You kidnapped me.”

“See, I knew we were all just gonna laugh about this someday! To be fair, it was out of self-defense.”

Akali shrugged, laughing. “You could’ve just left me.”

“Ahri really wanted you, did you know that?” Kai’Sa rolled over to face her. “Evie was trying support her and was coming to convince you until...well, y’know. And since I heard that you claimed you and that ‘Heart of the Tempest’ were good friends, I thought that would be a good idea, but you don’t seem so friendly toward him anymore.”

Akali’s smile faded. “Yeah,” was all she said. Kai’Sa was quiet, waiting for more. “He’s just somebody I used to know. That’s all.” Akali craned her head. “You definitely looked the part but you weren’t full of yourself enough.”

Kai’Sa giggled, hiding her smile behind a hand. “I suppose he did think much of himself.”

Akali rolled over now too, facing the fairy lounging in her human form. “Why did Ahri want me so bad?”

“She said you were inspiring to her! Do you remember the last time Ahri made music?”

“Like...a few years ago?”

“Five years ago,” Kai’Sa held up a hand, “I found her energy lingering in this city five years ago. Although it took some time, a few years later I mastered energy manipulation, learned where to find Evelynn, and here we are.”

“So, wait, Ahri stopped making music because she—“

“Yeah. She died.”

“How?”

“She hasn’t told me, or Evelynn I think. To be honest I don’t think she remembers much about her past life except for anything that isn’t related to becoming a popstar. There isn’t even a story to follow or anything. According to the world, Ahri went missing, and that was that.”

“Man, that sucks.”

Kai’Sa played with one of her braids. “A lot of people say that when ghosts linger it’s because they wanted something so badly and they didn’t get it before they died that they continue existing out of sheer will. Ahri wanted to be a popstar, that’s why her ghost is still here. She may seem like a spoiled princess, but she’s really tough.”

“Damn right,” Akali laughed, “This bitch died and came back. That’s super fucking tough.”

“You should tell her that. I think she’d appreciate it.”

“Hah, yeah maybe I’ll—“

That’s when the lurching in her stomach began.

She clutched her stomach out of reflex, curling into a fetal position. Kai’Sa sat up, gathering the vegetable basket with their pickings. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realized how long I was keeping you!”

Through clenched teeth, Akali responded, “Its—gah!—fine…”

Kai’Sa nudged her, helped her sit up. “Let's get you inside.”

With a basket in one arm and supporting Akali with the other, Kai’Sa slowly made it across the garden.

“Kai’Sa...distract me,” mumbled Akali, head hanging low.

“Okay...uh, what do you want to hear?”

She took a deep breath. “What happens to this place when you’re not here?”

“Oh, um, well nobody really comes to the roof. But just in case, I’m pretty good at illusions. They’ll just see normal tile and stuff, nothing interesting.”

“What about the plants? ...Worried somebody might step on them?”

“Yeah,” she grunted, attempting maneuver through the door with a basket and Akali, “but I can always make more? I’ve never had a problem with anybody here though. Guess they’re just not interested in the rooftop.”

Akali didn’t respond. She just held her stomach and groaned in pain.

“Okay, um, another topic…” They were climbing down the stairs now. “We’re almost back to the apartment, Akali.”

“...Good.”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“...Spicy ramyun…”

“Oh, never mind, you’re completely delusional now.” She called out, to nobody in particular, “She’s gone everyone, she’s hopeless.”

Akali spat out some blood over the stair railing. “Fuck you,” she chuckled.

Through one more door, down a corridor, and they were now approaching their apartment door when they met a familiar face waiting outside the door.

“Evelynn!” Kai’Sa called out. Eve peeled herself off the wall and met them halfway down the hall. “Akali’s going to transform soon.”

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Evelynn replied. Akali glanced up in distaste, but she was shocked to find that seemed genuine. To the werewolf, she began to say, “Akali--”

“Not...now, succubitch.”

“Oh, be quiet and listen,” she snapped. “Look. I’m willing to set aside this…’rivalry’ if you are. You don’t have to go out there alone. Come hunting with me tonight.”

Akali groaned as her pain grew stronger. Her teeth were aching. “...Not gonna...kill me, are ya?”

“Do you think I can?”

“Tch.” Akali spit again, away from the girls. “Try me, succubitch.”

Evelynn sighed. “Don’t make me take that bet.” To Kai’Sa, she told her, “I’ll take her to the lobby bathroom downstairs. That way she won’t make a mess of anything that’s ours.” Evelynn slid her arm around Akali who begrudgingly clung to her waist. “Think you can hold it?”

“...I’m not a baby...maybe.”

“Fine, we’ll take the elevator.”

Kai’Sa, vegetable basket in hand, said, “Please come home safe, you guys.”

Evelynn was the first to respond. “We will.”

Turning away to leave the vampire and the werewolf alone had never felt more like a trust fall in Kai’Sa’s life, but it was what she did. Evelynn guided a sick Akali to the elevator.

“What if...somebody sees us?”

“I’ll just have to tell them you’re incredibly drunk and I’m making sure you don’t drive home alone.”

“Aw…” Akali looked up at her, grinning. Her teeth were stained red with blood.

“Just don’t...Keep that smile to yourself for now,” Eve told her.

Akali spit. Evelynn noted that she was spitting even more frequently now, but held her tongue in chastising her.

When they finally arrived downstairs, Evelynn guided her to the lobby bathroom, which, thankfully was empty. She pushed open a stall for her with her shoulder. “I’ll be waiting outside,” she told her.

“...Please stay.” The voice was so feeble she was unsure she meant it. But Evelynn thought about it, how wild she had seemed the first time she transformed.

Evelynn leaned against a sink, crossing her arms. “Okay.”

 

It wasn’t long after they left that a bathroom attendant decided to check the stalls. What would have been an otherwise boring night quickly became a mystery. One stall was discovered in complete disarray: a white nightgown on the floor, walls with gashes raking in different directions, splintering plastic and chinked tile, a door that was forced off of its hinges, and blood in the toilet. A pair of police officers arrived shortly after a distressed call by the manager.

The pink-haired one downed some white pills before asking, “So what do we got, Cupcake?”

“It sounded like a vandalism case, but…” She opened the bathroom door to show her the stall.

“Claw markings...You don’t think...?”

Her partner nodded.

“I absolutely do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3
> 
> "One of Us" will be going on brief hiatus for Valentine's, but don't worry! Find out more here:https://eramia.tumblr.com/post/182570109320/one-of-us-is-going-on-a-brief-hiatus


	6. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai'Sa says some encouragement. Ahri makes a phone call. Evelynn and Akali go on their first man-hunt together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is already tagged for graphic violence but I want to tag this chapter in particular for some gore, etc. incase that makes anyone feel queasy. Anyways, enjoy!

Dinner at Ahri’s apartment was marked by a single bowl clinking against the kitchen counter as its set down. In one chair sat Kai’Sa, human-formed, wings hidden. The other chair beside her was turned inward but seemingly empty.

It was otherwise silent except for a simple clearing of the throat.

“Oh, right. My bad, Ahri.”

Kai’Sa set down her chopsticks, humming to herself as she dipped her fingers into the jar on the counter and pinched some of that glittering dust into her palm. She aimed her flat hand at the chair next to her and blew gently like blowing a kiss. It swirled in the air before falling gently, like snow, onto Ahri’s face. Ahri dared not to look away while Kai’Sa blew her a fairy’s kiss. Like noticing a secret image, she appeared, without her fox ears or her many tails.

A part of her felt something stir in her being, an urge to respond, to blow one back even though she knew that wasn’t how Kai’Sa meant it. Another part wanted to have that same delicate charm that she could just summon at the snap of her fingers. At one point, she had that. Many would tell her, Kai’Sa included, that she still does, but the emptiness she feels says otherwise.

But instead, she only mumbled a “thank you.”

Mid-slurping on noodles, Kai’Sa asked, “So, now that we’re four, what’s our next move, Foxy?”

Ahri perked up. “Oh! I guess we can talk to the label rep now. We’ve met their member requirement. We can get signed on.”

“That sounds easy enough.”

“Oh, believe me,” she chuckled, “It’s gonna be a lot tougher than it seems.”

“How so?”

“Evelynn alone already has her own reputation in music, as do I. Or, I did. I think marketing will be one of K/DA’s biggest issues.”

Kai’Sa hummed in agreement, mouth full. “Maybe,” she finally said after swallowing, “But you’re talented and so is Evelynn, and Akali, and me. We all got something that says, ‘Keep your eyes on me, don’t you dare look away’, y’know? I feel like whatever we make will be killer regardless.”

“That’s another thing. We don’t even have a song to produce yet.”

“Akali wrote her own raps, right? We can work with her.”

“I suppose.” Ahri sighed, resting her chin again.

“I wonder if Akali would be up for meeting the rep tomorrow,” Kai’Sa wondered aloud. She stood up to put her bowl away in the kitchen sink. “I think transforming so often is taking a toll on her health.”

“Akali said that it’s a normal werewolf thing apparently.”

“I mean, I’m not a werewolf so I wouldn’t know. But there has to be something we can do to make her feel better.”

Ahri shrugged. “She told me she usually sleeps it off, but I agree.” Thinking back on what she saw last night, she added, “She looks so pained when she transforms.”

Kai’Sa nodded. “I don’t think even painkillers could block all that pain.”

“They can certainly try,” she agreed. “We’d better let her rest.”

“But who’s going to watch her? What if she’s worse than last time?”

“We can have Evelynn look after her. Besides, I don’t think she’d feel like getting up before noon and Akali definitely won’t be up until, like, late afternoon or sunset at the latest.”

Kai’Sa laughed, like a little, tinkling bell. Ahri liked that. “True. So just the two of us will go?”

Ahri poked at a stray strand of noodle on the counter with her nail. Finding it hard to concentrate, her finger sunk right through the marble counter. “If you don’t mind.”

“Sure! I wouldn’t mind at all, Foxy!” Kai’Sa plucked the stray noodle and began to wipe down the counter. “The label rep can meet Akali later.”

Ahri smiled to herself. “That sounds good.” She stood up and said, “I’m gonna go call them! Wish me luck!”

Over her shoulder, Kai’Sa wished her luck, not knowing that Ahri had already left her, in search of her phone.

  
  


In Evelynn’s mind, she owned the streets she roamed at night, so having to sneak around the back alleyways, out of sight, felt like an unnecessary game to play. She wanted to be seen, until it was time to feed. It was how attracted most of her prey late at night.

But now that she had Akali it was her first time hunting with a partner and this made her incredibly anxious. She could cover for herself, but as for the beast, Akali, she wasn’t sure she could cover for that.

I haven’t killed anyone in a while, she thought to herself, but I did promise Ahri I’d try to stay clean for K/DA.

She peered out from around the corner of an alleyway. “Okay,” she whispered, “The coast is--”

Akali didn’t give her a chance to finish. She charged past her as if she had been saying nothing at all.

“...clear.”

Evelynn ran to catch up with the werewolf, running on all fours between the alleyways of downtown. “Hey, be careful,” she hissed, “What if somebody sees you?”

The beast skidded to a halt, an ear twitching in annoyance. Akali snarled, her voice twisted by new vocal chords but she fought to say, “I’m fine.”

Evelynn sighed, frustrated. “Well, can we at least devise a plan?”

“No. I hunt alone.”

“No,” she said decisively, “No, we’re a team now. If you’re going to be a part of K/DA then you can’t be alone anymore.”

Akali’s lips curled back, showing off her grinding teeth. Eve could see her face contort into an expression of conflict. In Akali’s mind, the last thing she wanted to do was think. Everything was staticky and intense, all powerful urges and nothing coherent. She had a scent already, she just wanted to follow it, if only the succubitch would shut up and--

“Akali. Hey.” Her voice brought her back. “I can see you’re zoning out,” she said.

She grunted an apology, nostrils flaring.

“Listen to me,” Eve told her. Akali stood up to meet her, looming over her. “Just this one time with me. I drink my fill and you…,” she paused for a moment, searching for the right way to put it, “You can eat whatever parts you like. After that, you’ll be free to go. Deal?”

Akali scratched the ground snorted.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Here’s what I had in mind...”

  
  


“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s me, Ahri!”

“Oh, Ahri, how wonderful it is to hear from you. How is everyone?”

“They’re all fine. We found a fourth member!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. Kai’Sa and I were wondering if we could come speak to you tomorrow about our next step.”

“Sure. Do you have a song?”

“Not yet, but we’re working on that. Our newest member is a rapper, she’ll help us compose.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you called me, Ahri--”

“Yeah, me too!”

“Because I needed to speak to you in private.”

“...Oh.”

  
  


The werewolf was growing restless, scuffing the ground with her claws as she paced, attempting to remember as much of Evelynn’s plan as she could.

“How can you be so certain... someone will fall for this?”

“Someone always does,” Evelynn sighed. She sat, legs crossed elegantly, resting her chin in her hand. Even she could make a crate appear like a throne. “In all my years of living, men are the only ones who never change. Doesn’t matter what night I choose to go out. There is, without a doubt, always a number of them, drunk, drugged, or even unfortunately sober, thinking with their dicks rather than their head. Hell, some nights, they’ll see me walking and come flashing money, demanding my “service”. Why do you think I hunt the way I do, as a seemingly normal, attractive woman, walking alone at night in a bad part of town.”

The werewolf sneezed, saying nothing. Evelynn continued. “I don’t mind being mistaken for a prostitute. It’s flattering, personally. But the way men come up to me, money or no money, with sheer entitlement...It’s disgusting.”

“I never...think about who to chase…” Akali managed to get out, “I hunt whoever...I never remember who it is...but you...are very calculating.”

“Thank you,” she purred. “So what do you say? Partnership, for the sake of K/DA.”

The werewolf flexed her claws eagerly. “I will help.”

“It’s nothing bad, Ahri, but it must be said: your...condition will make things hard.”

“I know.”

“I know hiding things from everybody isn’t easy, including this new member--”

“Don’t worry. She’s one of us.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she’s a werewolf. We learned that the hard way.”

“I see. I’m afraid that only complicates things even more.”

“Ugh. You’re telling me things I already know.”

“So it seems. I’ll just get to it then. Ahri, you’re going to have the hardest job of all as the leader of K/DA. When we begin announcing that we are taking on a new band at this label, you’re going to have to announce your return as well. Your biggest problem, Ahri, will be explaining where you’ve been all this time. Excuse the pun, but do you know how many people you ghosted? Me, included.”

“...Yeah, I know. Pun excused.”

“I hate to ask something so personal, but do you remember anything surrounding your death yet?”

  
  


Now this is more to my taste, Evelynn thought to herself.

She was strolling on the sidewalk now instead of prowling a stuffy alleyway, illuminated by street lamps and apartment lights glowing through the window, just how she liked it. In the corner of her eye, well-adjusted to low light, she could see movement in the dark. One could only notice it if they were looking for it, not that anyone really does. Most people avoid alleys, which make them perfect for hunting.

Evelynn told Akali that this plan was simply called “Hook, Line, and Sinker”.

She approached a pub with a trio of three men huddled outside, guffawing with gusto, voices loud, speech without filter. The hook was the easiest part of the plan. Most of the time, all she had to do was saunter by, slowly. She was certain they’d bite, what with the way they talked how horny they claimed to be, but something in her wish they wouldn’t. A part of her always hoped that no men would ever catcall that night. It didn’t scare her when they did it, because was lucky enough to be blessed with a way to fight back. But she knew that not every woman had those resources.

Which is why she decided that she should take full advantage of her powers.

The trio hushed as she passed them. “Hey, beautiful,” one of them called, slurring his speech, “C’mere, honey, we wanna talk to ya.”

Evelynn stopped and turned slowly in place. Her face may have been unreadable, but inside, she was already laughing. This was always how it started, “innocently”.

“Oh? What is it?”

“You lost, honey?”

“Lost? I’m not lost, just waiting for my ride.”

Another one joined in, “I’ll give you somethin’ta ride.” They all burst out laughing at this, Evelynn excluded.

She smiled, tight-lipped. “Are you looking for entertainment? Because I can do that, boys.”

The trio erupted into howls of laughter, clapping one another on the shoulders. It was the usual reaction when Evelynn managed to lure one away, but she wasn’t just feeding herself tonight. This time, she wanted all of them.

“Who’s going first?” one of them asked his trio.

“Why not all three?” she told them, sending them into another round of cheering.

“Should we go back to my place?” the first one asked.

“Mmm, no. I can’t wait that long. My ride will be here soon,” she said. Winking over her shoulder, she said, “Follow me.”

Evelynn sauntered into the alley by the pub with the three men drooling at her heels like hungry wolves. It reeked of vomit, alcohol and rotting leftovers.

“Jesus, it smells like shit in here,” one of them whispered, “Let’s just go back to your place.”

“Aw, don’t leave,” Evelynn playfully called out over her shoulder, faux-whining. She turned around, hands on her hips, and smirking. “You aren’t the only ones who are hungry.”

“Hey, what--”

In the dim light of the alley, the men couldn’t see much, but they could hear a deafening crash like a struck gong. One of them was sent flying, as if flung by an invisible force, his back crashing against the dumpster. But then, they saw it, standing in place of where their friend was a mere second ago: a towering silhouette against the light of the street, breathing heavily, snarling.

“Oh, sh--”

Akali didn’t give them a second longer to scream. She took out the rest of the drunk trio in two easy moves. One move to slash the first man, raking up his chest, a claw catching the soft part under his chin right where his tongue would be, puncturing the fleshy portion of his head and sending him flying against a wall; another move to lunge at the second man’s throat, clamping her jaw on him like a bear trap and shake viciously until he no longer struggled.

All of this happened in what felt like moments to Evelynn. Needless to say, she was astonished.

When Akali settled, quietly but quickly feeding on her second target, cartilage and bone popping and cracking in her teeth, Evelynn stepped over the two bodies carefully and kneeled by the one slumped by the dumpster. His neck was limp but she checked his pulse anyway. He was dead.

She went over to check the other one, but she didn’t even need to check; she could already tell it was no longer ‘his’ body but ‘a’ body. His shirt was stained with sweat and blood from a large gash in his throat. It almost seemed like there was a hole underneath his eye, right where Akali’s claw poked out from his skin. If he didn’t die choking on his own blood and vomit, Evelynn thought, cracking his skull open against the wall would’ve done it.

“Well,” she began to say. Akali’s ears flicked towards her, but she made no move to stop feeding. “That was efficient, wouldn’t you say?” The low murmur of the beast chewing and swallowing, although more gulping than chewing, would have agreed.

“I have to say, this was a good hunt. We should do it more often.” She kneeled beside the bleeding body near Akali. She was leaning in for her first bite when she heard a moist, squelching sound followed by a snap like a fraying rope, then something wet and thick about the size of her hand landed on her thigh.

Evelynn turned to find Akali staring at her expectantly, eyes flashing in the dark. “What is...this?”

“Tongue of Man,” the beast responded, “So that entitled men may never catcall you again.”

Although a little disgusted, Evelynn laughed, pushing the tongue back to Akali. “Do all werewolves have such a morbid sense of humor?”

The werewolf didn’t respond. She was already feeding again.

“Bon appetit, pet,” said the vampire as she began to feed too.

  
  


“Ahri? Are you there?”

“...No, I don’t remember anything.”

“I’m so sorry, Ahri.”

“It’s okay.”

“I mean that more than as a label rep. I mean that as your friend.”

“...Thank you. That means a lot.”

“We can hold off on announcing K/DA for a little bit. In the meantime, you should think of what your story will be. To explain your disappearance.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I didn’t mean to dampen your excitement. I’m sure you’re anxious to return to the music world.”

“I am but...I can’t ignore reality.”

“True. But I wouldn’t worry about it so much at the moment. You all have a song to write, don’t you?”

“Aha, yeah, I suppose we do.”

“Stay positive, Ahri. Good things will come of it.”

“You think?”

“As your friend and your representative, let me remind you: karma always has its way of catching up to people.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 Check me out on tumblr if you'd like!
> 
> eramia.tumblr.com


	7. Meet the Coven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlyn and Vi make headway in their vandalism investigation. Ahri and Kai'Sa meet three very important people. Evelynn and Akali sleep at home.

“So, Cupcake, what do we got?”

Vi swiveled around in the office chair, kicking back and resting her boots on the desk.

“How many times have I asked to not speak with your mouth full? That’s gross,” Caitlyn scolded, “And put your feet down, this isn’t your desk.”

Vi threw her head back, laughing broadly, mouth wide open much to Caitlyn’s disgust. “Typical Cupcake,” she chuckled, tossing an apple core into the trash underneath the desk. She lowered her legs and sat up straight. “You got the tapes?”

Caitlyn leaned against the desk beside Vi and tapped a couple icons on the tablet before setting it in between her and Vi. On the screen was a clip from the security tape sent from the apartment building. They could see a woman with magenta hair, dressed in black, skin-tight clothes, supporting another hunched over woman as she stumbled her way to the restroom.

Vi clicked her tongue. “Had a little too much to drink, huh?”

“Why does that sound like somebody I know?”

“Low blow, Cupcake. Low blow.”

They watched as the woman led her cohort to the bathroom door offscreen. “So she went in the bathroom and what, trashed the place after she finished puking her guts out?” Vi remarked.

Caitlyn shushed her. “Keep watching.”

She fast-forwarded the tape a few minutes where they see the woman in black strut out, alone. Then, a minute or two later, they see a flash of movement as a maroon-furred dog scampered out of the bathroom after her. Vi raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

“Oh.”

“That’s what I said too. But the evidence gets a little weirder. Look.” Caitlyn rewinded back to where the women were outside the bathroom. They see the sick friend spit onto the white tile floor, leaving a reddish mark, before entering the restroom. Vi adjusted her posture, resting her cheek on her fist, and eyeing the screen with suspicion.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“What, that there’s...another one?”

“In this city? Perhaps. But we don’t exactly have grounds to accurately accuse anyone yet. Just a clip of a security tape, a vandalism, and a hunch.” Caitlyn noticed that, for once, her partner looked thoughtful. She watched her for a moment before saying, “Let’s do some investigation ourselves before we...call Vayne.”

“Ugh, no, I hate Vayne,” Vi complained, holding her forehead, “Vayne creeps me the fuck out.” There’s the normal Vi I know and love, Caitlyn thought, smiling.

“Don’t worry, love,” Caitlyn chuckled, patting Vi’s shoulder, “I wouldn’t let her get anywhere near you.”

“I know, Cupcake.” Vi took Caitlyn’s hand and gave a quick squeeze.

Caitlyn took the tablet back. “How are you doing on medication?” she asked.

“Fine.”

Caitlyn turned the tablet off and placed it screen down on the desk. “I’m proud of you,” she said gently, “I can’t imagine being in your position, your life.”

Vi nodded slowly. She was quiet for a moment before she mumbled, “Thank you.”

“What if,” Caitlyn began, “we stop by the bakery before we investigate further? My treat.”

She watched a smile grow on her partner’s face. “Yeah,” she said, “That would be perfect.”

  
  


Kai’Sa and Ahri sat in a polished, chrome lobby on a black, leather couch, and despite all their fame and fortune, they couldn’t feel more out of place. Kai’Sa, for one, lived among the depths of nature for most of her life and finding a world encased in cold, unliving metal both made her uncomfortable yet intrigued with the humans who prized it. Ahri, however, only saw mirrors, on the walls, in the very furniture she sat in, and found reminders that she was missing something, a part of her. Trying to look for something like herself in the mirror only to find nothing made her feel empty, nonexistent

“I guess humans really like this look, huh,” Kai’Sa remarked.

“Yeah, some do,” Ahri said quietly. She sat weightless next to Kai’Sa, undusted. Not wanting to kill her enthusiasm, she added, “It makes us think we’re in the future sometimes.”

“Oh, that makes sense! It looks nothing like the world outside.”

Ahri waited a moment before saying, “Thank you for coming with me today.”

“It’s no problem! I can’t wait to get started!”

Ahri smiled, brushing hair away from her face. “Me neither. It’s going to feel so good to work again.”

“I bet!” Kai’Sa eyed a fake potted plant next to the receptionist’s desk. “Do you think there will be fake plants in the future?”

“Excuse me?” The receptionist looked away from the computer.

“Oh, sorry! I was, uh, talking to myself!”

They nodded and returned to work.

“Phew, that was close,” she whispered under her breath. Ahri eyed a pile of magazines on the low side table, chrome like the rest of the room. “Foxy, how are you doing?” Kai’Sa asked.

“Oh, I’m alright,” she said. “This place brings back memories.”

“I’m sure it does!” she giggled, “Is this where you debuted?”

Ahri nodded. “With the same label rep too. She’s very good.”

“She seemed to take the news surprisingly well.”

“Yeah, she’s very open-minded. That’s what I like about her.”

Speaking of the devil, the receptionist turned to them and called Kai’Sa’s name. “She’s ready for you. Go on in.”

She leapt up from the sofa, beaming politely. “Thank you!” she replied, waving to the receptionist. They flashed a smile then quickly returned to work.

“She’s busy,” Ahri whispered when she noticed Kai’Sa watching for a bigger response, “Let’s just go in.”

“Is she shy?”

“Maybe. I think she’s just focused on her work. Besides, not everybody is as outspoken and friendly as you are. Some humans are quiet and prefer to observe. Doesn’t mean they don’t like you or anything, that’s just what they’re comfortable with. They don’t want to be overwhelmed.

“I suppose that’s fair.”

With a gentle turn of the knob, Kai’Sa quietly opened the office door, coming face to face with a dark-skinned woman in a teal pantsuit with a purple undershirt sitting behind a desk.

“Hello, Kai’Sa,” she greeted smoothly.

“Hi, Darha!”

“Please, call me Karma. Where’s Ahri?”

“Oh, wait one moment! She’s right here!” Kai’Sa closed the door behind her, reached into her blouse, and pulled out a velvet pouch from her chest.

“Kai’Sa,” Ahri hissed, “that’s so inappropriate!” But Karma appeared bemused, merely observing.

Kai’Sa did her ritual, pinching dust into her palm and blowing a fairy kiss to Ahri who appeared before Karma, as young as she appeared five years ago.

“Ah, there you are.” Karma smiled. “Why don’t you both have a seat? Can you sit, Ahri?”

“Yes, thank you.” The two of them did as they were beckoned.

“How have you both been? It appears you found a new member quite quickly. It took you...a few days? How did you do it?”

“Well,” Ahri began, “I discovered her through the internet. She’s a street rapper. She has several viral videos of her doing rap battles and she has a growing following online. I think she’s really talented.”

“I see. And her name is…?”

“Akali,” Kai’Sa answered.

“Akali,” Karma purred. “How did you get her to join, Ahri? I know no news of your death has reached the public, miraculously, but surely, disappearing for years at a time only to reappear out of nowhere must’ve been confusing for her.”

That’s when Ahri reflected on the past few days: her initial discovery of Akali online, reaching out to her only to get shot down, Evelynn going to talk to Akali only to make matters worse when she discovers they are rivals, Kai’Sa kidnapping her with enchanted sleep, tying her up, and bringing her back to the apartment only for her to escape and then she embarrassed herself by showing how weak and vulnerable she was by screaming at her which, although led Akali to finally say yes, ruined her “perfect, untouchable” image and now they are harboring not just one but two blood-thirsty predators while trying to keep all of their identities secret, feign normalcy, and live a relatively normal life as pop stars.

But instead, Ahri told her, “I asked her to join through social media! She said yes!”

“Turns out, she lives in this city,” Kai’Sa added.

“Ah, sounds simple enough. Very lucky indeed. The stars were perfectly aligned.”

Her and Kai’Sa exchanged glances and merely nodded.

“So, your next step as K/DA is to begin producing a song. Have you all discussed this yet?”

“No, we didn’t have the chance to last night,” Ahri explained, “It’s the third night with a full moon so Akali was out hunting and Evelynn went with her.”

“She ends up sleeping most of the day away,” Kai’Sa added enthusiastically.

“I see. Well, when you can, the four of you should sit down and toss around ideas. We can get you an in-house songwriter if you’d like.”

“No, thank you. I want us to do this ourselves.

“Alright then, best of luck to the four of you.”

“Not to rush anything, but is there anything else we need to discuss? I’ve been worried about Akali since she’s been having post-transformation sickness, I wanted to deliver some medicine to her.”

“Well, there is one thing--”

Karma was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Ah, perfect timing,” she said. “Come in,” she called.

The door opened. In the doorway stood two women, one in a pure white pantsuit, bright like the moon, with platinum blonde hair to match, and the other in a soft yellow suit, with auburn hair and a smile like sunlight.

Karma stood up and said, “Ahri, Kai’Sa. These are my wives: Diana in the white, and Leona in the yellow.”

Ahri jumped out of her seat. “Wives?! You guys finally got married?!”

“A little less than a year ago!” Leona exclaimed, joining Ahri in her enthusiasm. Diana closed the door behind them as Leona came over to greet Ahri. “Oh, I wish you could’ve came to the wedding! We missed you! How have you been?”

“Leona, please,” Diana hissed.

“Oh, don’t worry, Diana,” Ahri laughed, brushing her off, “I’ve been fine! I’ve been surrounded by friends and I couldn’t be happier!” Kai’Sa, unfamiliar with these women, kept a friendly face and watched, but Ahri’s sudden disposition change threw her off, not that she showed it.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Leona said warmly.

“You were one of our biggest clients,” Diana pointed out.

“And one of our closest friends! Don’t pretend you didn’t miss her too.”

Diana sighed. “I was trying to keep things professional, but,” she mustered a small smile, “It is good to have you back, Ahri.”

“Good to be back!” Ahri exclaimed, without missing a beat.

With her two wives behind her now, Karma sat down and began to say, “The three of us, Diana, Leona, and I, have something we want to share with you. A secret, if you will.”

Ahri sat down, at attention now. Kai’Sa mirrored her, out of politeness.

“Seeing that the four of you have your own,” Diana paused to search for the right word, “identities, we’ve agreed that we should share our own.”

Kai’Sa glanced at Ahri to see how she would react. She appeared taken aback. “You mean, you’re not human?”

“Not necessarily.” It was Leona who responded.

“So, what are you then?” Kai’Sa asked, “Fairies? Nymphs? Spirits?”

Karma folded her hands on her desk, smiling to herself. “We’re witches, dear. The three of us are in tune with the sun, the moon, and the stars.”

“No way!” Kai’Sa gasped.

Ahri furrowed her brow. “So, all this time? Is that why you took the news of us being monsters so well?”

“I wouldn’t say you guys are monsters,” Leona told her warmly, “But you are different. And that’s okay!”

Ahri scoffed and leaned back in her chair. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

“Are you the only three?” Kai’Sa asked, “Or is everyone here a witch?”

“Everyone here is a witch,” Karma replied, “The record label, although it properly functions like one, is merely a front for our coven.”

“So that means you guys can do magic too!” Kai’Sa was beaming now, excited to find people similar to herself.

Karma laughed. “I suppose we can, in our own ways.”

“We know about the monsters that lurk in the dark,” Diana said, “In other words, you four aren’t alone.”

“And you have our full support and protection,” Leona added.

Everyone’s eyes were on Ahri now, visibly lost in thought. She finally said, “K/DA appreciates this very much. I appreciate this.” She stood up, looking each of them in the eye. “Thank you. We won’t let you down.”

“Take care, Ahri,” Karma told her, “We’ll see each other again very soon.”

  
  


Evelynn awoke to the obnoxious tone of her cell phone rattling the side table next to her. She hated her beauty sleep being disrupted but she hardly felt beautiful this time around; waking up in the same clothes she hunted in last night, hints of blood smattering the fabric and staining her fingers, hair clinging to her neck with sweat. Worst of all, she blinked her eyes open, feeling those sleep crusts around her eyes flake and felt absolutely gross.

She threw her arm out blindly and felt around until she found her phone. When she answered, she found her voice painfully laughable.

“Evelynn? Are you okay?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s me, Ahri.”

“Oh,” she sighed, “Right. I feel like shit, gumiho.”

“You sound like shit.

“Shut up, bitch.”

“How’s Akali?”

She hadn’t thought of Akali until Ahri’s mention, but when she looked over, she remembered last night. After eating their fill, Akali transformed again out of exhaustion and Evelynn had to carry her home. The most unfortunate part, she felt, was that Akali had no clothes to put on when she returned, and Eve felt too exhausted to look for some, so she dumped her naked body on the guest bed and tucked her in. The restless thing had managed to kick off the covers and now her bare-naked butt was exposed for all the world to see.

Evelynn clicked her tongue in disgust. “Out like a light,” she said.

“No fever? Sweating? Anything? Kai’Sa and I will be home soon with painkillers soon for the both of you.”

“She’s out cold, gumiho, but come quick with those drugs.” Evelynn held her forehead, which felt as if it were pounding. “I could use them.”

“We’ll be right there,” she heard Kai’Sa’s voice, “Hang in there Evie.”

Evelynn had no energy in her to argue. She hung up. She thought she could feel her brain rattling around in her skull, but then she realized that somebody was knocking at the door. She took a moment to bury her face into her pillow and groan before begrudgingly rolling out of bed, not caring for how ungraceful she looked. Although wobbly, she managed to stand up. She looked over at Akali, who was laying on her stomach and drooling, and considered what to do with her before tossing the sheets over her body and stumbling out of the room.

She was about to answer the front door when she remembered to check her face in the mirror, out of habit. She was relieved to have remembered, because she had a streak of blood smearing her chin like bad lipstick. She rushed into the kitchen to clean herself up when the knocking on the door grew more aggressive.

“Police! Open up.”

“We’d just like to ask a few questions.”

Shit, Evelynn cursed herself.

Flattening down her unruly hair, she hurried over to the door with one last glance in the mirror before finally opening. There in the doorway stood two women in police uniform.

“Excuse me,” said the violet-haired one, checking a piece of paper, “Do an ‘Evelynn’ and ‘Akali’ live at this residence?”

Evelynn tightened her lips. “I’m Evelynn. What do you want with Akali?”

The pink-haired one spoke up first. “We just want to ask the both of you a few questions about an incident that occured downstairs last night. May we come in?”

It didn’t sound like she had much of a choice.

She forced a small smile and stood aside. “Please, you may.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3
> 
> If you wish to support me and my writing, check me out on tumblr ( eramia.tumblr.com )


	8. Kills Over Deaths and Assists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelynn and Akali practice their cover story with the police. Ahri leads K/DA as they begin to discuss their first move. Caitlyn and Vi receive an important visitor.

“We just wish to ask you about a vandalism incident that occurred downstairs.”

“Oh? Is that so? Whatever could have happened?”

Evelynn and Caitlynn had their eyes locked in a silent stand-off and the tension between them so unwaveringly intense it could be cut with a knife.

Caitlyn sat in the plush lounge chair with Vi resting on the chair’s arm, perched in waiting, much like a gargoyle. Opposite them was Evelynn, sitting on the couch, poised with her legs crossed, resting her folded hands neatly on one knee. She took up so little of the couch, but it was because Akali beside her had slouched back, legs spread, resting her arms on the couch back. Akali and Vi had been sharing glares as well, uncertain of the other’s presence, watching everything like guard dogs.

“That’s what we were hoping you could tell us,” Vi said, gruffly.

“Tell you what? We didn’t break anything,” Akali shot back, barely lifting an eyebrow.

“Maybe not,” Caitlyn began to say, pulling out her tablet, “But we have evidence that you were at the crime scene last night.”

Akali shifted her posture, leaning forward with her elbows on her thighs. “Yeah? What evidence?”

“Security cam footage.” Caitlyn turned her tablet around to play the video. There are on the screen, one could see Evelynn escorting a hunched over Akali to the restroom in the lobby and a few minutes later Eve leaves, followed by what looked like a dog.

At that moment, Evelynn shot her a glare sharper than her own collection of daggers. Akali knew to shut up and resigned to resting her chin in her hand.

“So, you’re coming after us for a bathroom stall?” Evelynn asked, sounding unamused. No one else could see it, but she was aching for this encounter to be over. Beside her, Akali’s leg was tapping furiously. She most likely wanted out too.

“More than just a bathroom stall door was broken,” Caitlyn told them, “The walls of the stalls themselves were shredded to pieces, and on top of that, blood was found in a toilet.”

“It’s a women’s restroom, there’s bound to be blood.”

“Yes, but a white nightgown? Chipped tile pieces from the wall? This is some serious damage.”

Evelynn scoffed. “And you think we did this. Us, two women, one of whom was sick last night.”

“Maybe not in this form,” Vi muttered. Caitlyn placed a hand on her arm.

“This technology is top of the line, Miss Evelynn. I assure you, there is no data error. However, if it wasn’t you, do you care to give us an alibi?”

Evelynn leaned back, folding her arms across her chest now. “Well, as you can see on your screen, I was escorting…” she glanced at Akali briefly before slowly saying, “my friend to the restroom. She drank too much.”

“Uh-huh. And the dog?”

Akali noticed her tense for a brief moment, but Evelynn passed it off as her own annoyance. “I saw the...beast and went to get help.”

“And you left your sick friend alone in the bathroom with the dog?” Vi remarked.

“She was vomiting all over the place, I couldn’t get her to move!”

“Honestly, I puked so much I wouldn’t be surprised if my nose bled,” Akali added, “But, uh, I wouldn’t remember. Blackout drinking and all.”

“Yes,” Evelynn hissed, “Irresponsible drinking.”

Vi groaned and stood up, cupping her forehead with one hand.

“Vi, are you alright?” Caitlyn asked gently.

“I’m fine, let’s just finish this,” she muttered over her shoulder. She turned the girls on the couch and said, “Look. That just doesn’t add up with what the lobby attendant saw, or didn’t see, which was your supposed paralyzed friend vomiting her heart out in the bathroom.”

Akali stood up as well. “Yeah, well, maybe I got the hell out of there so I didn’t get my ass chewed out.”

“I don’t care whether you did or you didn’t,” Vi told her. Before Akali could even reply, Vi said, “Your alibi doesn’t hold and you can defend it all you want, I don’t give a crap. What I wanna know is how the bathroom got destroyed. The shit I saw either took a tag-team or one superpowered being, and I didn’t see you guys bring in any tools. So what was it: did you two break shit together or is one of you hiding something?”

“Vi, stop it,” her partner hissed. But her partner loomed over the duo across from them. Standing up, Akali could hardly compare.

Evelynn rose from the couch, almost impressively composed but one could sense the tension coming from her. “I’ve had enough,” she growled, “We will pay whatever fine you want. But get out of our sight.”

“Let’s go,” Caitlyn told her partner. There was no room for debate as Caitlyn took her arm, told the women thank you and apologized on Vi’s behalf, and then left, closing the door behind them.

But the tense energy didn’t leave with them.

Akali sighed, “Oof, that was rough, huh.”

Evelynn turned away, leaning against the arm of the couch with one hand supporting her. “You filthy mongrel,” she hissed “You could have ruined it for all of us.” Under her tightening grip, the leather groaned.

“Hey, what the hell, I thought we were friends!”

The leather ripped. “We are far from friends, pet. Like I could trust a mutt who probably can’t even take herself to the vet to get her vaccines.”

“I have all of my vaccines! Looks like you forgot take your...your…,” Akali went quiet, grumbling out her thoughts until she shouted, “Your dumb bitch vaccine!”

“Dumb bitch vaccine?!” Evelynn let go of the couch, but as Akali readied herself for a physical attack, the vampire broke down laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” she wheezed between laughs, “That’s so stupid. I don’t know why that’s so funny.”

Evelynn turned around, staring at the werewolf over her glasses. “I’m sorry for what I said. I probably shouldn’t have taken you downstairs, I just didn’t want you to wreck our bathroom or try jumping off the balcony again. I do hope we can be friends. Partners even.”

Akali eyed her, unsure. “Uh, okay. Yeah, sure. Partners.”

  
  


“Now, young padawan, the art of memes is a dank one indeed. To master it, you will need the sickest dedication.”

“Yes, sensei.”

“What did we say about respecting the sensei?”

Kai’Sa brought her elbow to her face and stuck her arm straight out like Akali showed her: a solid dab. “Sorry, sensei,” she muttered, faux-seriously, “It will not happen again, sensei.”

Akali dabbed back. “Shit waddup.”

Someone snickered, they weren’t sure who did it first, but the two of them fell apart with laughter in the middle of the living room.

“Alright, so, you’re a dancer, right?”

“Mhm! I like to think I’m pretty good!”

“Alright, cool, so check this.” Akali stood up, facing Kai’Sa. “This is a dance move called ‘Riding The Whip’.”

“Whoa!”

“So you bring your knee up like this, and your opposite arm is out with your wrist up and then,” she brought her foot down into a squat and flipped her arm over, “you do this!”

“Wow!” Kai’Sa was absolutely starry-eyed now.

Ahri came into the living room, walking through her bedroom door, declaring, “Team meeting, girls! Right now, living room!”

“Ahri! Ahri, yo, I’m teaching Kai’Sa how to whip.” Akali bounded up to her, bouncing on her toes with a cheeky smile plastered on her face. “Wanna show her how it’s done?”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“PLEASE!! Please, please, PLEASE!” Kai’Sa whined.

“Oh, alright,” she digressed.

“YEAH, GHOSTRIDE THAT WHIP!”

“GHOSTRIDE! GHOST RIDE!”

By the time Evelynn joined them the living room was in chaos, and incredibly loud. She had a headache after their earlier encounter and this only irritated her more.

“What’s going on out here?”

Ahri straightened up, ears flattened in embarrassment.“Err, group meeting?”

Evelynn tightened her lips. “Alright,” she mustered, “Fine.”

In a bright flash Kai’Sa returned to her tiny fairy form and landed on the arm of the couch. “What happened here?” she asked, rubbing her hands over the rough edge of the leather, “It’s all torn up!”

Evelynn raised a hand to her mouth, to hide her smirk. “Perhaps the dog has been a bit naughty,” she mused, almost catty, “Isn’t that right, pet?”

“No, it wasn’t me! I swear, guys! ”The look Akali gave her was one of confusion and betrayal. Evelynn was pretty good at reading faces and Akali’s was absolutely delicious right now.

Ahri laughed, tails swishing in delight. “Naughty dogs get the dog house, you know! Maybe I should get you a cone of shame, Akali!”

Kai’Sa was attempting to push down the peeling leather so she could sit comfortably, but it bounced back, flicking her in the face. “I should get all three of you a cone of shame! Look at me, doing everything around here!”

“Oh, please,” Evelynn scoffed, “You have magic.”

“You could at least offer to help, Evie!” Resigned, Kai’Sa clambered onto Evelynn’s bare shoulder and sat there.

The three of them sat couch-side and across from them was their leader, Ahri, seated in the chair that Caitlyn was just in a couple hours ago. “Okay, girls! So real talk: the label is ready to take us on, but we need a debut song. Any ideas?”

Akali raised her hand. “I got a question.”

“What’s up, rogue?”

“What’s K/DA stand for? Like, who came up with that?”

“That’s easy! It’s an acronym: Kills Over Deaths and Assists.”

“Whoa, dude, that’s pretty metal. I thought this was a pop group.”

Evelynn smirked, pushing up her glasses. “Who said we couldn’t also be metal?”

“Exactly, Eve! Which is why I want this first song to be super power and make us look like real bad girls who can’t be brought down!”

“I can get behind that,” Evelynn agreed.

“Me too!” Kai’Sa added, “It should be something you can dance to!”

Ahri squealed, “Ah! I’m so excited now! Look at us, coming together and planning a song like a real band! I’ve always wanted to do this!”

Kai’Sa’s wings were fluttering now, “Me too, me too! This is so amazing!”

“Uh, I hate to burst your bubble, but,” Akali began to say, “but I haven’t even moved out of my apartment yet, and uh, I don’t know if we can that we’re a band yet until I do that. I still got stuff there, and I can’t keep borrowing your guys’ clothes forever.”

“Not that it fits,” Eve added snidely.

“Careful, kitty,” Akali warned her, “Or you’ll be the next one to be declawed.”

“Hmph!”

“Akali’s right,” Ahri said, “We should help her move out A.S.A.P! We can’t call ourselves K/DA until we do!”

“So we’re going back to Akali’s apartment complex?” Evelynn asked, “What if somebody sees us?”

“Oh, this will be a great opportunity to test my abilities!” Kai’Sa exclaimed, “You and Akali can probably pass just fine, but Ahri and I are going to need my fairy dust. And this little outing is perfect! If I can make us look real and people are convinced we’re human then we’ll have no problem passing as idols!”

“Except at night when I, y’know, turn into a werewolf. Especially during every full moon, and every month.”

“Right. I haven’t figured out how to help you with that yet. My magic is mostly illusory in nature, except for my green thumb! I can’t change what you are, Akali, I can only change how you appear.”

“Yeah, I get it,” she sighed, slumping back.

“Speaking of the outside world, who was at the door?” Ahri asked.

Akali barely glanced at Evelynn before Eve told her, “Nobody important.”

“Y-yeah, just the cops.”

“You mean the police came?! What happened?”

Even without looking, Akali knew she was receiving the hottest of glares from Evelynn. She had to make it up. “They were just asking something that happened downstairs. Somebody vandalized a bathroom or something, it wasn’t like huge.”

Akali had left out an important fact: it was them being accused, but she had to save face for Evelynn and her.

“I see,” Ahri mumbled, but she seemed unconvinced.

“It really wasn’t anything important, gumiho,” Evelynn told her soothingly, “They were asking all the neighbors. Somebody broke a stall door downstairs.”

Man, Evelynn’s a pretty good liar, Akali thought.

“I guess that makes sense,” Ahri shrugged, but she was still visibly uncomfortable. Shaken, even. The thought of humans coming by the apartment was enough to make her go cold, or at least feel something like that. “We’re lucky that our two most passing humans were here, huh.”

At that moment, Kai’Sa fluttered down from Evelynn’s shoulder and upon reaching the floor transformed back into a human form. “I think it’s time to start dinner,” she told them.

“Hey, wait! Let me help, bokkie!”

“No way, I can’t even trust you with a knife! You’d burn water if it was possible!”

“No, I wouldn’t! Hey, get back here!” Ahri whined, following a giggling Kai’Sa into the kitchen.

They had left Evelynn and Akali alone on the couch, again.

It was a moment before either of them spoke, waiting for the other half of their team to disappear out of sight.

“Hey, Eve?”

“Yes, pet?”

“Stop calling me that. Why didn’t we tell Ahri the truth?”

Akali couldn’t see Evelynn’s eyes but she watched her brows furrow behind her glasses. “I didn’t want to worry her,” she said plainly.

“Huh.”

They sat there a little longer before Akali tried talking to her again. “You know, I felt like we could’ve told them the truth. It’s so wild there’s no way they’d believe it. They’d probably think we’re just crazy drunks.”

“Akali.”

“Hmm?”

“Be careful who you talk to. You never know when you’ve found someone just like you, or worse: unlike you.”

Before Akali could ask her what she meant, Evelynn stood up and disappeared into the kitchen after Ahri and Kai’Sa.

  
  


“Well that was fruitless.”

“Why’d you pull me out, Cupcake, we could’ve got them!”

“It was because of your impulsiveness that we didn’t.” Caitlyn was rummaging through various papers on her desk while her partner hogged her chair. “Even if one of them might not be who they claim to be, we don’t have the evidence to prove anything other than they were in the bathroom around the time that it was destroyed. And at most, all we can do is fine them for destruction of private property at the moment.”

“Yeah, but, what if one them could be like…y’know, like--”

“Like what, Officer Vi?”

It wasn’t Caitlyn who answered.

The duo turned to the office doorway to find a middle-aged woman with a high, black ponytail and even darker glasses. She was unnecessarily dressed in a thick leather bodysuit with various harnesses attached.

“Vayne,” Vi mumbled, quickly sitting up straight in Caitlyn’s chair.

“Officer Vayne,” Caitlyn greeted cooly, “What brings you here?”

“Ex-Officer,” she corrected her, “and I smell...a beast.”

“Oh, I, uh--”

Vayne gave her no chance to confirm or deny. “I sense a hunt is afoot. Who is the target?” she asked, sauntering in as if she owned the place. Perhaps at one point she did.

“Nothing you’d be interested in, Vayne,” Caitlyn told her, but she fetched the tablet anyways and showed her. “It’s just a vandalism case that occurred in a celebrity apartment building. A bathroom stall and part of the wall was completely torn to shreds and there was blood discovered in a toilet in said stall. We have no other clues of the offender other than this security footage.”

She let the video roll. The two women went in, one came out, and the dog followed.

“Wait.”

Vayne snatched the tablet from Caitlyn’s hands and and paused on the footage of the woman. It was a top view, but you could see her front and part of her face. One could tell that her eyes were a bright yellow even from this angle.

“Forget the mutt,” she told them, “She’s the one you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> It feels great to be back from hiatus :'D After this, I plan to post the finale to "The Siren and the Itamae" and then we'll return to a normal update schedule for One of Us! Until then, for more updates, follow me on tumblr (eramia.tumblr.com), i'm very close to 100 followers and something cool might happen when i reach that!! ;3


	9. Making a Move/Uncharacteristic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K/DA makes their first move! In a moving van. Akali's bandmates help her move out of her old apartment. Meanwhile, Caitlyn and Vi have to learn to cooperate with an old co-worker.

“Eeevelynnn! Akaaaliii! Time to get up!”

The angel of good mornings heralded her arrival with song and the whip of opening curtains, bathing the otherwise dark room in bright light.

“Kai’Sa,” Evelynn groaned, hiding under the covers, “close the--Ahri?!”

“Good morning, Evie!”

“Shut the curtains! You know what sunlight can do to my complexion. And it’s too early to be up!”

“It’s almost noon, Eve.”

“Evelynn’s right, Ahri,” Akali conceded groggily, sitting up in bed. The blanket slid off her chest, revealing her slumped, naked form. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the bottom of her palm before she wiped away the dried blood around her lips, briskly brushing away the flakes. “We were out all night. Let us sleep in.”

“Not my fault you two are nocturnal.” She kneeled by Evelynn’s bedframe and seemed to sink into it hands first before being sucked in completely. Suddenly, Evelynn’s bed began to rattle and Ahri’s voice could be heard echoing, “Get up! Today’s the day!”

“No, leave me alone!” Evelynn whined, curling into a fetal position and bundling herself deeper underneath the covers.

As if being kicked out, Ahri tumbled from the bed frame in a flash and landed with crossed legs. “Fine! Just five more minutes but then I’ll come get you both!” She stood up and left, tails swishing excitedly behind her. “I already have Kai’Sa making breakfast. You two better hurry or else I’m giving her permission to eat it all!”

The door slammed shut behind her as if blown by a gust of wind. All was still for a moment in the wake of the hurricane that is Ahri’s energy of grandeur.

Evelynn mumbled something from underneath the covers but it was muffled.

“What’d you say, Eve?”

She lifted the covers a bit and said firmly, “Close the curtains. Please.”

Akali chuckled.

“Shut up, beast,” she spat.

“Fine, I’ll do it, but don’t look. I’m naked.”

“I know, who do you think had to carry you home last night?”

Akali got out of bed and scampered across the room, sore legs wobbling with exhaustion. She pulled the curtains and collapsed into bed, looking much like Evelynn, a caterpillar in their blanket cocoons. “Okay, it’s done.”

“Hmph.”

Evelynn slowly wormed her head out from underneath the covers, only to see Akali on the opposite bed, leaning on one arm with the blanket pressed to her chest, staring at her with a smirk. Evelynn shot her a dirty look.

“Not so domineering now, huh, succubitch?”

“Don’t look so smug, pet. If it weren’t for Ahri and K/DA, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Ah, c’mon, Eve, it’s been a week already. I thought we were past that.”

Evelynn only hums and rolls over. “Go on, get changed. I’m not looking.”

She heard some shuffling, Akali getting up, and hobbling across the floor. Akali opened the double closet they shared and began to rummage through Evelynn’s glitzy side.

“No, not that one,” Eve tells her.

“I thought you weren’t looking!”

“Not at you, obviously. I don’t want you getting my good clothes dirty today.”

“They’re just sweatpants, aren’t they?”

“They’re Gucci. They’re worth more than your whole estate. “

Evelynn gets up from bed, still in her PJs, and snatches the sweat pants from Akali’s hands. Stiffly, she picks out clothes Akali can wear and tosses them on her bed. She also picks out some casual wear for herself and leaves for the bathroom, to reluctantly give Akali privacy.

“Estate?” Akali says, left confused.

  
  


Vi walked into the station that noon with two new coffees.

“No new cases?” she asked, setting coffee down on Caitlyn’s desk and seating herself on the edge.

“Actually, we’ve been told to go on stand-by.”

“By who?”

“By me, Officer Vi.”

Officer Vayne walked in through the doorway, hands behind her back and tinted glasses resting on her thin nose.

Vi immediately stood up, tense. “Vayne,” she greeted plainly, “What are you doing back here?”

Vayne took long, militarily-straight strides, rolling through her foot like an overexaggerated soldier, and glaring about the office over her dark lenses as she briefed them, “I put in a request to reopen a case and since you both served under my direction, I specifically asked for you.”

She dragged a leather-gloved finger across a corner of the desk that was clear of papers, where Vi was sitting before, and then observed it with microscopic focus. Despite her finger coming up clean, she rubbed it off on her clothes as if there were something. Dust perhaps. She was face to face with both of them now.

“Just tell us the file name and we will look it up,” Caitlyn said, monotone. Complacent.

“I have it right here, actually,” she said and revealed the case file behind her. She placed it firmly on the desk.

With that, she turned and made for the door. “We will set off to investigate shortly, once I prepare my equipment,” she told them on her way out, “Be ready.”

“Will do,” Caitlyn replied, eyeing the file.

Vayne shut the door behind her.

As soon as they heard her heeled boots clicking down the hallway disappear, Caitlyn asked, “Are you alright, Vi?”

Vi brushed some hair out of her face. “Yeah,” she sighed, “I think I just need to take a breather.”

“Go wash your face in the bathroom,” she told her, “You’re sweating.”

“I know. I will.”

“I’ll look over the case file while you’re out.”

“Thanks, Cupcake. I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing, Vi. Now, go.”

  
  


Kai’Sa is just placing breakfast on the kitchen island counter as Evelynn saunters in. “Eggs and bacon, an American breakfast for my American friend!” the fairy says.

Eve scoffs, “You’re all in a cheerful mood.”

“Well, it’s not every day we get to leave the apartment!” Kai’Sa exclaims, “It’s like a…oh, what’s the word? You know when kids get to be in ‘not school’ because the teachers take them somewhere? Is it a field? Why do they take them out to a field?”

“A field trip?”

“Yeah, that’s the word!”

“Stop speaking in English,” Ahri complains, “I can’t understand you!”

“Sorry, Foxy, I’m just so excited about going out today!” Kai’Sa flashes into her fairy form, dancing and twirling on Ahri’s empty plate. “I’ve been getting cabin fever.”

“Me too,” the ghost admits, “Finally, for the first time in forever, I’ll get out of here and I’ll be myself! People will see me, it’ll be fantastic!”

Evelynn sips her coffee and sighs before pointing out, “I don’t know about that, gumiho. We still need to test it, right, Kai’Sa?”

“Well, yes,” the fairy returns to her human form in a shower of glitter, prompting Eve to disgustedly brush some off her eggs, “but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! As long as nobody touches you, Ahri, you’ll appear as normal as a human.”

Ahri grew solemn. Not even fairy magic could return her to her normal life. If anything, being seen was all she could ever be. This was as close as she was going to get. “I want to do this,” she said finally, “I’ve been waiting my whole, well, afterlife for this moment, the moment where somebody sees me.”

“We’ve seen you, gumiho,” Evelynn snarks.

“You know what I mean! Humans! Humans that aren’t you guys.”

“Oh, gumiho, you hurt me,” she shoots back sarcastically, “Are we monsters not good enough for you?”

“Now, now, Foxy,” the fairy intervenes, “you know that’s not true. Eve loves all of us.” Movement from the hallway caught Kai’Sa’s eye. “Even Akali.”

Evelynn sipped her coffee, saying nothing to the werewolf strolling up to the counter, visibly scratching her ass.

“Morning,” she yawned.

“Hmph,” was Eve’s reply.

“Good morning! I made an American-style breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.”

“Smells good,” said the werewolf, sitting next to Ahri’s translucent form. Evelynn was on Ahri’s other side, pretending to not notice but the twitch of her pointed ear gave away her annoyance.

“Are those Evelynn’s?” Ahri asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Akali responded, slowly, “Evelynn let me borrow more of her clothes since, uh, mine got torn up. Again.”

“Aw, Eve, that’s nice of you!”

“Don’t call me nice,” she hissed, “I’m not nice.”

“Aw, sure you are!” the fairy cooed, reaching over to pinch the vampire’s cheek but like an angry cat, Evelynn nipped her finger, causing the fairy to pull back and squeak.

“Eve!” she whined, “You could’ve hurt me.”

Another sip of coffee, a final bite of bacon, then Evelynn finally responded. “That was just a warning. Don’t touch me like that again.” But she knew the fairy wouldn’t take her seriously, so she added nothing more.

“Evelynn! Say you’re sorry,” Ahri scolded.

“But she--”

“Evelynn,” she insisted.

The vampire sighed, resting her elbow on the counter and her head in her hand. Huffy, she looked up and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Mmm, it’s fine,” Kai’Sa said quietly, still sucking on her finger. There was no blood per se for her to clean but she had seen humans do this motion on TV whenever their finger was pricked or scratched and decided it was appropriate. For whatever reason. She didn’t really understand it.

Ahri made a patting motion without touching Evelynn’s shoulder. “Thank you!”

The ghost promptly turned the Akali and asked, “Are you excited about today?’

“Huh?” she said through a mouthful of eggs, “Oh, you mean moving?” Uh, I mean I guess, but it’s more of a hassle really. I have a lot of junk.”

“Don’t worry about that! We’re going to help you.”

“You’re all coming with?”

“Of course,” Ahri replies, “We can’t let a bandmate down!”

Kai’Sa leans over the counter gleefully, “I want to learn all about how you live, where you sleep, what you eat.”

“Like a stray,” Evelynn remarks.

“Eve! We just talked about this,” the ghost sighs.

“No, it’s fine, Ahri,” Akali waved her off, “I guess I can show you when we get there, but uh, it’s not much. Really.”

“We’re never going to get there at this rate if we don’t leave. Kai’Sa,” Evelynn barks, “Do your thing.”

“Mhm!”

The jar that was once on the counter was replaced with another after Akali broke it charging through with her werewolf form. It was filled to the brim with glittering dust.

“Where do you get all that anyway?” Akali asked.

Kai’Sa suddenly turned intense and made direct eye contact. “You do not want to know.”

Nobody knew how to respond.

“Just kidding!” she laughed, seemingly back to normal, but Akali made note that she didn’t actually respond to her question.

Kai’Sa opened the jar and as best as she could, grabbed a handful of the fairy dust, cupping it in two hands before it could spill through her fingers. “I’ve never used this much dust before, but seeing it now makes me realize it might take more out of me than I thought.”

“If it’s too much then we don’t gotta,” Ahri said suddenly, earning a look from everyone.

“But you really wanted to. I’ll be okay! It’ll just take some time to regenerate!”

“Are you sure?” Ahri asked, most likely not for the last time.

“Most definitely,” Kai’Sa told her, “Now close your eyes. I don’t want you to get anything in them.”

Kai’Sa brought the glittering dust to her lips and blew a kiss with two hands. As if they were in water, the dust swirled its way through the air in winding paths. Ahri didn’t have long to watch before it brushed her cheek and under her chin, following along her jawline, but to Akali and Evelynn, it was like the dust was embracing her.

Ahri would have agreed: it felt very much like something in her briefly unlocked.

An invisible breeze, only for her, rustled her hair and warmth spread throughout her body in a rush as she went from transparent to seemingly solid with a glittery sheen to her skin. Ahri opened her eyes when everything stilled. Looking down at her arms, her body, she thought she was going to cry. It was the first time in a long while that she felt like that.

“You...you did it! Kai’Sa, you really did it!” Invigorated, Ahri took a running leap towards Kai’Sa.

“Ahri, wait!”

In a billowing cloud of glitter, Ahri fell to the floor. Part of her body had gone incorporeal again, with entire patches missing in her torso where she fell through the fairy.

Ahri quickly got up with a laugh. Kai’Sa dusted her again. “Ahah, thank you.” To the other two, she asked, “Can we go now?”

“Hold on, gumiho,” Evelynn told her, “We need to test it first.”

“What do you mean?” Akali asked.

Evelynn scoffed, “I’m not surprised a street performer wouldn’t know about a popstar’s Achilles heel: unexpected paparazzi.”

The vampire took out her phone and stood up, “Lean in everyone. We’re taking a selfie.”

Evelynn quickly found herself surrounded by the others, all leaning in to get a look once she took the picture. In the photo, all four of them appeared jovial, especially Ahri. Akali and Evelynn are close. Kai’Sa conveniently hid her hands coated in shimmering dust. As soon as the picture was taken, all that order went away.

Akali was the first one to speak. “It worked.”

Ahri was careful not to touch anyone, but she couldn’t help but lean even closer. Kai’Sa made space for her as Evelynn brought the phone to her.

There she was.

Everything was the same as it was five years ago.

Same long hair with dark roots she’ll never outgrow, same fox-inspired makeup.

Even the sandy-furred ears she wore during concerts.

It was as if she never died.

She wanted to cry, shout with joy, but her voice got caught in her throat. “It worked! It really worked!”

Evelynn pressed ‘delete’ almost immediately. “Good. Now we have a good idea of our limits.”

“Eve! I wanted you to send me that.”

“Don’t worry, gumiho,” she told her, stifling a small smile, “There will be plenty of pictures of you in the future.” Ahri looked elated.

“Okay, Evie, you’re next!” Kai’Sa exclaimed, grabbing a new handful of fairy dust.

“Hmph.” Reluctantly, she let herself be dusted.

The tips of her ears shrunk and rounded. Her fangs, which hugged her bottom lip, shrunk to normal-sized canines. Even the golden yellow of her eyes toned down to a hazel. Upon viewing herself in her camera, she murmured, “It’s a sin to cover something so beautiful.

“It’s only for a few hours, Evelynn,” Ahri told her on their way out, “Sin for a while with us.”

Evelynn turned off her camera. “Sin I must,” she sighed.

  
  


They were told to humor Vayne and that’s what they were trying to do, but the more Caitlyn searched into her file, the harder it was to believe their fellow ex-Officer.

Vi noticed the scrunched up, concerned look on Caitlyn’s face. “What’s up, Cupcake? Something not reading right?”

“Very much so,” she replied, eyes glued to the papers in front of her, “For one, this case has been cold for years. Judging by the time span, Vayne was a kid when this happened.”

“Yikes,” Vi cringed.

“But it gets weirder than that.”

“How so?”

“Vayne is the only listed witness.”

Vi nearly choked on her last sip of coffee. “Wait, hold up. This case involves Vayne? I thought it was just another conspiracy she was interested in. I knew she could get obsessive with her cases, but this? Holy fuck.”

“No listed suspects, no suspected weapons either, not even evidence of a break-in” Caitlyn continued, “This case seems airtight. The witness claims she came home from a midsummer banquet with friends to find her parents murdered and a strange, perhaps demonic woman standing over them. But the weirdest part?” She slid some photos to Vi: pictures of the victims’ necks, a man and a woman, captioned as parents of Shauna Vayne.

Vi began reading the captions aloud, slowly, “‘Two identical puncture wounds side by side on the neck of Mr. Vayne while’...damn, a whole chunk is missing out of Mrs. Vayne!”

“If what Vayne remembered was true then--”

“It was true, Officer Caitlyn.”

Vayne, again, was in the doorway, looking more uptight than before. Her face had hardened into a scowl.

“She always comes in unannounced,” Vi hissed to Caitlyn under her breath. Vayne seemed to continue speaking as if she didn’t hear.

“I remember that smile vividly,” she told them, “For years I searched for the woman who murdered my parents in cold blood. I was in such a shock when I was little that all I could do was mourn. But now I am older. Now, I know better. I won’t let her escape this time.”

“You’re talking about the woman from the security cam footage?” Vi asked.

“Of course.”

“Vayne, I mean no offense,” Caitlyn began, reserved in her choice of words, “But the woman from the video isn’t listed as a suspect in the case file. If anything, I don’t think she even has a criminal record.”

She would have kept going but Vayne was at her desk now. Vi had moved out of her way.

“Officer, I don’t think you understand,” she replied coolly, coldly, “I have visual evidence. I saw this woman with my own eyes. In other words, I recognized her from the crime scene.” Vayne spread her hands and leaned over Caitlyn’s desk, noses inches apart from each other. “Of course she has no criminal file. She clearly operates off the grid. But I know it’s her. I can smell it.”

Caitlyn didn’t want to break Vayne’s intimidating stare, but out of habit and fear, she couldn’t help but glance over at Vi who started back, uncharacteristically stoic, glossy from sweat.

“You’ll learn, Caitlyn,” Vayne continued as she turned to leave, “that this city has monsters. Ugly beasts. And they will take everything from you.”

She stopped in the doorway and turned.

“That’s why you put them away before they put you six feet under.”

Vayne didn’t bother closing the door this time.

Vi slammed it shut for her.

“I hate her!” she screamed, visceral, panting from anger.

“Be careful,” Caitlyn hissed, getting up from her desk and rushing over, “What if she hears you?”

“I don’t fuckin’ care,” she spat, “She probably already knows and is using this to taunt me.”

“Vi, that’s not true.”

“I can’t work this case with her, Cupcake. I’m sorry.”

Vi left too.

Caitlyn quietly shut the door by herself with a sigh.

  
  


“We’re here!” Ahri sang as their rented moving van pulled up to Akali’s apartment complex.

Only she and Kai’Sa seemed excited about this.

“I really don’t think we’re gonna move everything out in one day,” Akali tried to explain, but Ahri wouldn’t listen.

“Uh, maybe if you’re human? But guess what! We’re not!” She seemed oddly happy about this, which was unusual compared to her normal lament for her past life. “Besides,” she continued, “We have…fairy magic!” She gestured to Kai’Sa, shaking her hands and creating a little shower of glitter.

“Um, I hate to burst your bubble, Ahri, but I didn’t bring much fairy dust with me.”

“Aw, what? Why not?”

“I brought enough in case there’s an emergency, but I’d rather save it for that than making the boxes come to life or something.”

“Aw, man.”

“It’ll be fine, gumiho,” Evelynn sighed, “We’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.”

“Which is?”

“I sit on the couch and watch while I tell you what can stay and what can go.”

“Evie! That’s not very helpful at all,” Kai’Sa pouted.

“Yeah,” Akali agreed, “Why do you get to decide what I do with my stuff?”

“Please. What stuff? Some unwashed clothes and instant ramen packets?”

“I have to agree with Evelynn, the ramen has to go,” Kai’Sa intervened, “It’s not healthy for you to keep eating that.”

“Can we please just get out of the car?” Akali groaned.

“Akali’s right,” Ahri declared, “The day is young! Let’s get moving!”

Without thinking, she was moving to open the door when she felt something brush across her chest: Kai’Sa’s arm as she reached across, opening the door for her.

“You can’t touch anything, remember?”

“R-right,” she mumbled, brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “Sorry.”

Evelynn was staring at the pair in the front when Akali poked her shoulder.

“What is it, mutt?”

“You’re in the way. This door doesn’t open from the inside remember?”

“Hmph.” Evelynn opened the door and got out, Akali coming after her.

“Hey, you didn’t slam the door in her face or anything,” Ahri praised, “Good job, Eve!”

The Diva opened her black parasol. “Don’t patronize me,” she said, walking away.

“Aw, c’mon, Eve,” Ahri whined, following after her. Kai’Sa and Akali hung back as they made it up the stairs.

“Seriously,” Kai’Sa was telling her, “I can make you good ramen. Actually healthy ramen with miso and egg and--”

“Akaliiiii, your door is locked!” Ahri interrupted, whining from the top of the stairs now.

“Duh, I haven’t been home,” Akali shouted back. She turned to Kai’Sa as they walked slowly up the stairs, “Listen, I hear you. But that shit takes way too long and I’m pretty lazy. Plus I actually like spicy ramyun.”

Kai’Sa gasped melodramatically. “But it’s so bad for your health! Your body is a temple, doesn’t it talk to you when you put bad things into it?”

“Uh, no?”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s weird, Kai’Sa.” Akali thought for a moment and then said, “Does your body talk to you?”

“Akaliiii, hurry up!”

“Please. Get up here.”

“Ugh, fine,” Akali groaned, chuckling as she took the stairs two at a time and bounded up to her floor.

When she reached the top, she pulled out her key and unlocked her door. The smell immediately hit Akali and Evelynn, took a moment to reach Kai’Sa, and hit Ahri but very faintly.

A musky smell, a combination of dust and dog-sweat.

“Oh, right, uh, I don’t think I ever cleaned this place after my transformation,” Akali realized.

“No kidding,” Kai’Sa said in disbelief.

“I told you it was an animal den,” Evelynn exclaimed, facing away from the doorway, holding her nose.

The ground was still lightly coated in hair and ramen seasoning from the night of her first transformation last week. The glass was, for the most part, cleared, although it was mostly just brushed to the side, out of the walkway.

“Are you going to come in at all?” Ahri asked, “We can’t just leave the door open.”

Evelynn hesitated a moment before begrudgingly walking in. Ahri moved to close the door behind it but Eve turned, remembering her condition, and slammed it shut for her.

“Well, at least you’re in,” she sighed under her breath.

Ahri clapped her hands and said, “Okay, first things first: let’s clean this place up! Even if you’re not going to live here anymore, it’s gotta be clean enough to sell!”

“It’s not mine, I was just renting--”

“Doesn’t matter! Get cleaning, everyone!”

Ahri sat on the couch, winking at Evelynn, “Guess I’m the one who gets to watch, huh?”

Evelynn scowled but said nothing, deciding to hold her tongue against the emotionally sensitive ghost.

In the kitchen, Akali found Kai’Sa rummaging through her foodstuffs when she went to look for a dustpan.

She poked her head out from the cabinets. “You actually have good ingredients here,” Kai’Sa told her, “you could make something nice!”

“Uh, yeah, well, I don’t really cook much.”

Kai’Sa bent back down to rummage some more. “Maybe I should throw out that ramyun. Then you’ll have no choice but to make a healthy meal!”

“Hah! Bold of you to assume that I won’t just run down to the convenience store.”

Kai’Sa looked her in the eye. “Uh...wait, I know the right response! Bet!” she shouted, delighted in herself, “Err, right?”

Akali chuckled to herself. “You learn fast pupil,” she said, grabbing a trash bag from by the sink, and taking the broom to the living room so she can clean up the hair and glass.

She tried to do it herself at first when Ahri prompted Eve to help her.

“She’s doing fine,” Evelynn complained.

“Aw, c’mon, please!”

“Nah, Ahri, I got it.”

“Ugh, who are you fooling?” Evelynn snapped, “Give me that!” She snatched the broom and commanded Akali to hold the trash bag.

“Damn, succubitch, I had it,” she mumbled under her breath.

“You had nothing, beast,” she hissed. After the last bits had been brushed, she gingerly passed back the broom and added, “Don’t forget who gave you what you have.”

“Geez, it’s just sweeping,” Akali muttered when she thought she was out of reach (she wasn’t but didn’t care enough to respond).

“Honestly, your living room isn’t that bad,” Ahri said.

“Yeah, I spend more time in my room than anything.”

“Lots of dirty bowls though,” Kai’Sa called from the kitchen, “I should make you do dishes so you can learn how to do them!”

“What are you, my mom? I know how to do the dishes, fairy.”

“Prove it!”

Akali looked at the dishes briefly then decided, “Nah, I’m good. I gotta clean my room, mom.”

“Hmph! You should!” Kai’Sa mock-scolded, “But while you do that, I got your dishes.”

“Ooh, I wanna see your room!” Ahri exclaimed, “Come on, Evelynn, come with us!”

“I don’t know if you, uh, wanna do that.” Nevertheless, Akali opened the door and all of Ahri’s excitement drained out of her. Evelynn was cackling.

“This is your room?” she squealed, only to fall into another fit of laughter.

“This is a pigsty!”

She wasn’t too far off. Clothes were thrown around and landed in the worst places: off of drawer edges, bed corners, under the bed, on the bedstead, hanging off the ceiling fan and on the floor. Her mattress sheet was visibly worn and an off-white mattress could be seen underneath.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. It’s just sloppy, but it’s not like there’s rats or some shit.”

“I don’t know, I’d say this place still has a pest infection,” Evelynn mused.

“Wait, did you see a rat?”

Evelynn simply gave her a look. The joke had gone over her head.

Ahri was poking at Akali’s belongings as gently as she could. She gently brushed a pair of sweatpants off of Akali’s desk and watched it fall in a heap, bringing papers down with it.

She crouched down to read them. “Are these lyrics?” Akali asked, trying to read them. Akali’s handwriting was surprisingly neat, but it was a mix of Korean, Japanese, and English and Ahri could only read one of those languages.

“Yeah, but like I wasn’t planning on using them.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s not like I didn’t want to. I just thought they sounded cool but I had no song for them y’know? Like they’re lyrics to a song that doesn’t exist yet.”

Ahri hummed in thought. “We should take this with us. We might be able to get inspiration for a song later!”

“Sure, why not?” Akali picked up the loose papers and folded them into her pocket.

Meanwhile, Evelynn was checking out the queen-sized bed in Akali’s apartment.

“Your place is...surprisingly nice,” she admitted, but her tone made Akali unsure whether it was a compliment or a jab at her sloppy personality.

“Uh, thanks?”

“Whoa, that’s a huge bed! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bed like that in the guest room?” Kai’Sa asked, poking her head in.

“And share a bed with her?” Evelynn asked, “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Same here. I don’t need her chomping on my bits.”

“Oh, Eve, don’t be so mean,” Ahri said as she poked at a jacket on a corkboard, “I really should get the both of you a ‘get-along shirt’ or something.”

The jacket fell into a heap on the floor and it was heavy enough to bring the board down with it. “Ah, I’m sorry,” she apologized, then froze.

She bent down again and turned over a picture.

It was from her Popstar days. She was in her captain outfit, beaming brightly, doing her signature “finger heart” with her index finger and thumb: the poster child of idols everywhere. Next to her was a young Akali, beaming just as brightly, red-faced, wild-haired. It was from a live show in Japan.

“Akali,” Ahri called, “I didn’t know you were a fan.”

Akali looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, I mean, you made such catchy songs! Pop wasn’t really my thing, but honestly, you were my guilty pleasure.”

Ahri smiled gently. “Was I?” She poked at the picture more, giving it a glittery sheen. “That’s nice. I’m glad.”

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember,” Akali laughed, “You had so many fans back then. I doubt you remembered every single one.”

She couldn’t see Ahri’s face, but she noticed her hesitation. “It’s not that, Akali. I don’t have any memories of my former life.”

“Wait, really? I thought it was just around your death?”

Kai’Sa grimaced a bit. Even Evelynn became unreadable, watching Ahri intently as she poked at the picture, hugging her knees, hair blocking her face.“When I reappeared after I died I could only feel. And I knew I wanted to sing and dance. I wanted to make people happy. I wanted...to be liked. Kai’Sa found me first, I think. She helped my energy grow back into this spirit form. Evelynn was the one who recognized me though.”

She looked up at Evelynn who had sat behind her on the bed. “We were music rivals, weren’t we?”

Evelynn smiled gently. “It’s what people believed.” To Akali, she explained, “We were both soloists fighting for the top, of course. Why wouldn’t we be rivals? It’s what our agencies wanted.”

Evelynn got up from the bed, picked up the photo, and held it out to Akali. “Take this with you, won’t you?” she asked, surprisingly quiet and gentle.

Akali said nothing, only a curt nod, as she carefully took it and put it in her back pocket, guiding it with her finger so it wouldn’t bend or fold.

“Hey, Ahri,” Kai’Sa called from the doorway, “Wanna help me finish cleaning out here?”

“Sure,” she said. “Don’t destroy the place while I’m gone.”

“You don’t have to babysit me,” Akali grumbled.

“Aw, but everyone loves a puppy,” Evelynn laughed.

They watched Ahri leave. Then they were left alone with bittersweet silence.

Akali began picking up clothes. “So you guys knew each other, huh?” she asked, as an attempt at conversation.

To her surprise, Evelynn began to help. “Yeah.”

“What was she like?”

Evelynn’s brow furrowed and although her eyes were unreadable, her hands clenched the jacket she was holding.

Akali noticed. “Oh, uh, sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Evelynn ignored her. “Ahri and I were closer than anyone could have imagined. Of course, we were marketed as rivals. But she was my best friend.”

“Her death must have been hard for you,” Akali said, her arm growing with clothes as she collected more and more.

“Unbelievably,” Evelynn whispered, voice cracking softly like sand underfoot, “You have no idea, Akali, how much it hurt. To have discovered her body? I never thought--”

Akali took the jacket from Evelynn, “It’s alright. You don’t have to talk about it.” She threw the clothes onto the bed when she couldn’t hold them anymore and laid back in the free space. “I lost my dad in a gang war when one of our members threw a coup.”

“I’m so sorry,” Evelynn told her, sitting down on the opposite side of the bed.

“It’s alright. I was young, I didn’t really understand what was happening.” Akali rolled over, facing away from Evelynn. “I was with them for a long time, I was born into it: The Kinkou Order. We ran a martial arts studio and we all knew how to fight. Honestly? I had a good life. But I left, y’know? Not because of the Order, they were awesome. I just needed to find my own path, y’know? Do things my way.”

Evelynn nodded, saying nothing.

“Sometimes they come back. My last rap battle was against one of my old gang mates.”

“The little guy?”

“Hah, yeah, Kennen. He’s a riot.”

Akali sat up, resting her forearms on her knees. “What about you?”

“What?”

“What’s your past like?”

Evelynn scoffed lightly, “Like you have the lifespan to listen to it all.”

Akali chuckled. “Just how old are you, anyway?”

Evelynn got up from the bed. “I’m not answering that!” she said, but she was laughing too.

“I’m gonna have to guess if you don’t tell me.”

“No way, mutt,” she said. She was hesitant again, in front of the door now.

“What, it’s too big of a number for you? Gotta count the decimal places?”

“Akali?”

“Yeah, succubitch?”

“Be kind to Ahri, okay?”

Akali sat up. “Yeah, no problem. Wasn’t planning on like being rude to her or some shit.”

“Just...please. She deserved the world, but the world was the last thing she got.”

They heard her voice through the door: “Evelynnnn! Akaliiii! You two making out in there or what?”

“As if!” Evelynn called back. Over her shoulder she said, “Not a word of this to anyone,” and then she left the bedroom with the door wide open.

  
  


Evelynn and Akali were sent to go ahead with the moving van at the end of the day. Ahri supposedly had other plans, Kai’Sa explained, and Evelynn, willing to humor Ahri, went along with it.

The ride was silent. A bit unpleasant at first but driving through the city at night grew on both of them.

At Ahri’s penthouse, they borrowed a luggage carrier and were bringing boxes upstairs when they met Ahri and Kai’Sa upstairs.

“How did you two make it here before us?”

Kai’Sa and Ahri giggled. “Fairy magic,” was all Kai’Sa said, wiggling her fingers and creating little waterfalls of glitter magic.

Evelynn narrowed her eyes. “What did you two do?”

“Nothing!” Ahri insisted, stifling her giggles.

Before they could stop her, she went straight to the guest room.

“NO!”

Ahri and Kai’Sa burst into laughter. Ahri, in her translucent form, fell through the couch in her laughter.

Evelynn came storming back as Akali walked in. “Evelynn, what--”

“Not. Another. Word.”

“What?”

“Check the bedroom,” Kai’Sa told her, mid-laughter.

Akali leaned in the door and was similarly shocked.

“Aw, FUCK. Really, guys? The queen bed?”

“It’s your get-along bed,” Ahri told them, and having announced the punchline, she and Kai’Sa burst into another fit of laughter.

Evelynn squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Not funny, you cretins.”

Ahri was still laughing like a child, “Aw, c’mon, Evie! It’s a perfect idea! Now you’ll have no choice but to get along!”

“You know full well that I would rather sleep on the floor!”

“Yeah, I’m with her. I get my bed back, she sleeps on the floor, we’re all good!”

“Uh, guys?”

“How dare you, first of all--”

“Can it, succubitch!”

“Guys?

“Evie, ‘Kali, be nice!”

“GUYS!!”

The three of them turned to Kai’Sa kneeling on the floor. Having their attention now, she gestured to the TV, “You’re going to want to see this.”

  
  


On-screen was the latest news headline, “Popstar returns? Ahri located with rival singer Evelynn in downtown apartment complex”, and a picture of the four of them taken from behind.

Akali was the only one to speak and yet she articulated everyone’s thoughts exactly in only two words.

“Oh, shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo~! Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I know I haven't been updating on a regular schedule, forgive me! I got swamped with zine work faster than I thought, but thank you for sticking with me! K/DA week is the week of the 21st and after I post my contribution and finish zine stuff, I want to go back to my personal projects, namely this! You can find more about that and ways to support me on my Tumblr (in my profile)!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! <3
> 
> Check here for some extra cryptid thoughts: https://eramia.tumblr.com/post/182140659015/tea-with-mia-one-of-us-chapter-one-the-hunt


End file.
